s 


m 


!l 


^.-, 


x^ 


\ 


l:/  I,  J 


"mmmmwm- 


Qlifp  i.  1.  Hill  iGtbrara 


5Jiirth  Qlarolina  ^tatp  (ToUpap 

SF525 
S55 


^ 


>n 


S00314368  P 


V 


This  book  may  be  kept  out  TWO  WEEKi 
ONLY,  and  is  subject  to  a  fine  of  FIVE 
CENTS  a  day  thereafter.  It  is  due  on  the 
day  indicated  below: 


980 


JUL  2  3 

230- Po./ 

SEP  311^ 

jAN 

M^  2  a  1954 

50M— May-54— Form 


4  1984 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2009  with  funding  from 

NCSU  Libraries 


http://www.archive.org/details/queenrearingsimpOOsmit 


Tilts  book  is  dedicated  to  my 
full  pm'tner  —  my  wife. 


QUEEN  REARING 
SIMPLIFIED 


BY 

JAY  SMITH 


ytt^^^T- 


Vuhluhed  hy 
THE  A.   1.   ROO'I"  COMPANY 

MEDINA.  OHIO 

1923 


CopyriKlit.    I !»!!:!.  liy  'I'he  A.    I.   Root   ('(iin|ian.v 
Made  ill   II.  S.  A. 


CHAPTERS. 


riiiijitcr  T.  •     liii|p()rt,uice  of  (jotxl  Queens. 

Chapter  II.  — Conditions  Under  Wliicli  tlie  Bees  Re;ir  Queens. 

Chapter  III.  — Queen  Rearing  for  the  Small  Beekeeper. 

Cliapter  IV.  — Rejiring  Queens  on  a  Large  Scale. 

Chapter  V.  —  Dipping  Cells. 

Chapter  VI.  —Royal  Jelly. 

Chapter  VII.  —The  Swarm  Bo.v. 

Chapter  VIII.  —Getting  the  Bees  in   Condition   for   Cell-Buildinj 

Chapter  IX.  — Cell-Finishing  Colonies. 

Chapter  X.  — Filling  the  Swarm  Box. 

Chapter  XI.  —Grafting  the  Cell  Cups, 

Cliapter  XII.  — Emptying  the  Swarm   Box. 

Cliapter  XIIT.  —The  Pritchard  Forced   Cell-Starting   Colony. 

Cliapter  XIV.  — Our  Daily  Program. 

Chapter  XV.  — Nucleus  Hives. 

Cliapter  XVI.  — Virgin  or  Cell  Introduction. 

Chapter  XVI  r.  —Cell   Introduction. 

Chapter  XVIII.  —Why  Nuclei  Tear  Down  Cells. 

Cliapter  XIX.  — Forming  Nuclei. 

Chapter  XX.  — Misfortunes   of  the   Queen-breeder. 

Chapter  XXI.  —Records  for  the  Nucleus  Hives. 

Chapter  XXII.  —Care  of  Nuclei. 

Chapter  XXIII.  —Mailing  Cages. 

Chapter  XXIV.  —Queen  Candy. 

Chapter  XXV.  — Caging  Queens. 

Chapter  XXVI.  — Clipping  Queens'  Wings. 

Chapter  XXVTI.  —Introducing  Queens. 

Chapter  XXVIII.  — Disposing  of  Nuclei  at  Close  of  Season. 

Cliapter  XXIX.  —Care  of  Combs. 

Chapter  XXX.  — Supplementary  Topics. 

Chapter  XXXI.  — Requeening  Colonies  About  to  Swarm. 

Chapter  XXXII.  —Feeding  and  Feeders. 

Chapter  XXXIII.  — Requeening  to  Cure  American  Foul  Brood. 

Chapter  XXXIV.  — Finishing  Cells  in  Queenless  Colonies. 

Cliapter  XXXV.  —Cell-Building  During  a  Heavy  Honey  Flow. 

Cliapter  XXXVI.  —The  Quality  of  Queens. 

("•apter  XXXVH.  —Drones. 

Chapter  XXXVIII.— More  Than  One  Queen  in  a  Hive. 

Chapter  XXXtX.  —When  to  Requeen. 

Cliapter  XL.  — Commercial  Queen-Rearing. 


INTRODUCTION. 


For  several  ye<ars  past  there  has  been  a  growing  interest  in  Queen- 
rearing,  as  more  beekeepers  are  coming  to  recognize  the  important  part  the 
queen  phiys  in  beekeeping.  I  have  been  receiving  a  hu-ge  amount  of  cor- 
respondence on  the  subject  of  Queen-rearing  from  beekeepei's  wishing  for 
detailed  information  on  the  subject.  Their  many  questions  have  prompted 
me  to  attempt  this  book,  and  to  explain  such  points  as  are  not  clear  to  those 
interested  in  Queen-rearing. 

To  assist  the  honey  ])roducer  in  learing  his  own  queens  is  my  primary 
obiect:  but  I  also  describe  methods  adapted  to  the  aaiateur  as  well  as  the 
couunercial  queen-breeder.  To  the  beginner  in  beekeeping,  however,  I  would 
recommend  a  careful  study  of  one  or  more  of  the  following  books  on  gen- 
eral beekeeping  before  taking  up  this  work:  "The  ABC  and  X  Y  Z  of 
Bee  Culture"  (Root),  -'Beekeeping"  (Phillips),  "Starting  Right  With 
Bees  (Rowe),  "Langstroth  on  the  Honey  Bee''  (Dadant),  "Fifty  Years 
Among  the  Bees"  (Miller).  In  addition  to  bee  books  one  should  read 
all  articles  in  the  bee  journals  by  able  writers  and  especially  those  written 
by  Geo.  S.  Demuth,  who  is  now  generally  recognized  as  our  highest  author- 
ity on  beekeeping.  For  a  description  of  different  methods  of  Queen-rearirg 
read  Pellett's  "Practical  Queen  Rearing." 

In  presenting  this  \olume  to  the  beekeeping  public,  nothing  radically 
new  or  revolutionary  is  offered.  The  system  described  has  been  taken  from 
many  sources,  so  it  is  impossible  to  give  credit  to  all  who  have  contributed 
through  their  books  and  their  writings  to  our  bee  journals.  More  is  due 
to  Mr.  G.  M.  Doolittle  than  any  other,  for  to  him  we  owe  the  invention  of 
artificial  cell  cups  and  the  art  of  gi'afting. 

I  shall  deal  mainly  with  the  successes  I  have  had  and  not  with  the 
failures.  I  have  two  reasons  for  doing  this.  One  is,  that  almost  any  bee- 
keeper has  failures  without  having  to  refer  to  a  text-book  on  the  subject; 
and  the  second  is,  that  I  wish  to  keep  this  book  within  modest  dimensions. 
If  I  should  chronicle  all  of  my  failures,  a  book  so  voluminous  would  result 
that  a  Webster's  Unabridged  might  look  like  a  vest-pocket  edition  in  com- 
parison. 

The  object  of  this  book,  then,  is  not  to  present  many  new  methods  but 
to  place  before  the  reader,  with  the  aid  of  the  camera,  such  methods  with 
variations  as  I  have  used  for  twenty-one  years,  and  to  describe  them  in 
detail  so  that  any  one  wishing  to  rear  queens  can  succeed,  and,  if  failure 
comes,  he  may  refer  to  this  book,  and  find  the  cause  of  it.  Many  have 
reported  indifferent  success  with  the  grafting  method  of  queen-rearing. 
Upon  investigation,  it  was  frequently  found  they  had  carefully  followed 
all  of  the  rules  laid  down  with  one  or  ttco  exceptions.  These  very  excep- 
tions brought  tlie  failure.  I  hojie  this  book  may  be  of  help  to  such. 
Frankly,  I  do  not  know  whether  it  will  or  not.  The  reader  must  be  the 
judge.  Again,  if  this  little  volume  interests  some  overworked  business  or 
professional  man  or  w-oman,  and,  through  it,  pleasure  and  re<Meation  are 
gained,  and  he  is  thus  better  able  to  meet  some  of  the  harsher  things  of  life, 
I  shall  consider  my  efforts  have  not  been  in  vain. 

Viii.-.-.m.-<.   Iii.li:m.i.  (».i..l...i   :,.   I!l2:;.  .I\Y  SMITH. 


IMPORTANCE  OF  GOOD  QUEENS. 


CHAPTER  T. 


In  view  of  what  lias  been  said  by  the  writers  in  the  past,  it  would 
hardly  seem  necessary,  if  the  best  results  are  to  be  obtained  in  honey  pro- 
duction, to  call  attention  to  the  importanfe  of  havini:-  every  colony  headed 
by  a  good,  prolific  Italian  queen. 

You  will  note  that  I  say  a  good  Ualum  queen.  Beekeepers  are  prac- 
tically unanimous  in  the  opinion  that  the  Italian  bees  are  much  superior  to 
Blacks  in  nearly  all  respects.  They  are  better  workers,  swarai  less,  are 
more  gentle  and  are  much  superior  in  cleaning  out  European  foul  brood. 
Unfortunately  the  black  bee  was  introduced  into  the  United  States  over 
two  hundred  years  before  the  Italian,  and  therefore  the  Blacks  have  become 
pretty  Avell  established  in  all  parts  of  our  country.  They  are  now  found 
wild  in  trees  and  rocks  in  every  state  from  coast  to  coast,  and  in  many 
parts  of  Canada.  Consequently,  one  very  good  reason  why  the  honey  pro- 
ducer should  rear  his  own  queens  is  to  get  rid  of  the  black  bees  and  hj^brids. 

Every  beekeeper  concedes  the  point  that  each  colony  must  be  headed 
by  a  good  prolific  queen,  and  all  writers  on  the  subject  have  emphasized  it 
in  the  strongest  terms,  yet  in  truth  very  few  of  us  fully  realize  the  im- 
portance of  good  queens. 

Put  yourself  to  this  test.  When  the  season  is  over  and  you  are  taking 
off  the  honey,  notice  how  much  more  honey  some  colonies  produce  than 
others.  Then  get  out  your  pencil  and  paper,  and  figaire  how  much  more 
money  you  would  have  made  if  all  colonies  had  made  as  much  honey  as  the 
best.  The  results  are  frequently  startling.  Then  remember  that  there  is 
positively  no  one  element  that  contributes  to  the  production  of  these  big- 
yields  as  much  as  good  ijoinui  queens.  After  you  have  these  results  tabu- 
lated, consider  whether  or  not  it  would  pay  you  to  rear  your  own  (pieens 
and  become  an  expert  at  it,  or  have  some  members  of  the  family  oi-  linn 
take  uj)  this  most  inii)ortant  branch  of  beekeeping. 

Our  best  authorities  are  agreed  that  there  is  not  so  much  difference  in 
the  inherent  honey-getting  ability  of  the  different  colonies  as  there  is  in 
the  condition  of  these  colonies;  that  is,  they  produce  large  honey  crops  be- 
cause the  conditions  within  the  hives  are  ideal.  There  were  plenty  of 
>  onng  bees  and  brood  at  exactly  the  right  time.  These  colonies  seemed  to 
devote  all  of  their  energy  to  honey-getting.  They  did  not  loaf.  Tiiey  did 
not  swarm.  They  just  uorked,  and  these  conditions  were  brought  about 
by  the  fact  that  these  colonies  had  good  young  queens,'  and  not  because 
they  had  inherited  any  exceptional  traits  or  were  constitutionally  superior. 
That  there  is  a  difference  in  the  honey-getting  ability  of  different  colonies 
is  not  denie<l;  but  it  is  ditlicult,  indeed,  to  be  able  to  i)rove  that  the  reason 
a  colony  niaile  the  lariicst  sur]>Ius  was  due  to  natural  ability  rather  than 
to  the  condition  within  the  liive. 


D.  H.  HIU  LIBRARY 


IMPOHTAXCE  OF  GOOD  QUEENS.— Chapter  I. 

Therefore,  it  is  no  easy  matter  for  the  honey  producer  to  pick  out 
the  !)ost  (luecn,  since  it  may  be  the  opportunity  tliat  the  queen  had,  rather 
.han  her  natural  ability.  How,  then,  are  you  to  select  your  breeding-  queen? 
First,  be  careful  to  see  that  conditions  are  the  same  in  all  colonies,  and 
that  the  queens  are  of  the  same  age.  Then  select  the  queen  that  has  the 
most  desirable  qualities,  such  as  prolificness  and  vigor,  and  whose  bees  are 
jzentle,  of  pure  blood,  good  honey-getters,  showing  little  inclination  to 
swarm. 

Years  ago  I  endeavored  to  breed  up  a  honey  strain  by  simply  using 
ns  a  breeder  the  queen  whose  bees  produced  the  largest  yield.  I  found  tbat 
the  honey-getting  quality  was  not  in  the  least  improved ;  but  that  the  bees 
were  getting  cross  and  dark  in  color.  Then  I  adopted  the  rule  of  selecting 
the  largest  and  most  jn-olific  queen  whose  bees  were  gentle  and  of  good 
color.  I  found  tbat  better  results  were  at  once  obtained.  Being  more 
prolific,  this  queen  was  able  to  keep  the  hive  full  of  brood  and  bees  at  the 
beginning  of  the  honey  flow,  which  is  the  secret  of  successful  honey  pro- 
duction. If  this  rule  is  followed  and  in  addition  all  colonies  are  re- 
(lueened  from  the  best,  in  order  to  have  them  as  nearly  alike  as  possible 
in  every  respect,  then  we  may  select  as  our  breeder  the  one  that  has  tbe 
above  qualifications  and  also  the  one  that  produces  the  biggest  crop. 

Some  have  reported  that  a  medium-sized  queen  is  as  good  as  a  larger 
one.  That  lias  not  proved  true  in  my  experience,  which  has  been  that  the 
larger  the  queen,  the  better.  A  queen  that  is  extremely  prolific  has  to  be 
\  ery  large  in  order  to  contain  the  necessary  number  of  eggs  in  process  of 
formation  to  enable  her  to  lay  the  four  or  five  thousand  eggs  per  day,  whieb 
is  the  perforaiance  of  a  really  good  queen. 

When  the  virgin  emerges  from  the  queen-cells,  she  should  be  large, 
long  and  pointed.  In  three  or  four  days,  she  will  be  much  smaller,  but  ex- 
tremely active  and  nervous.  After  mating  she  rapidly  becomes  larger  until 
she  is  twice  her  former  size.  The  abdomen  becomes  long  and  broad  near 
the  thorax,  gradually  tapering  to  a  point.    Short,  blunt  queens  are  inferior. 

We  must  always  bear  in  mind  that,  no  matter  how  good  our  equipment, 
how  well  we  ])nck  for  winter,  how  generous  are  the  winter  stores,  and 
how  abundant  the  nectar  in  the  blossoms,  our  efforts  will  bring  only  failure 
if  we  do  not  have  a  good  queen  in  the  hive. 


CONDITIONS  UNDER  WHICH  THE  BEES  REAR  QUEENS. 


CHAPTER  II. 


In  oriler  to  rear  queens  successfully  we  must  study  the  conditions  in 
the  hive  under  which  bees  rear  their  own  queens.  There  are  three  of  these, 
loiown  to  beekeepers  as  the  Emergency  Impulse,  Supersedure  and  Swarm- 
ing. 

In  nature,  it  sometimes  happens  that  a  colony  suddenly  loses  its  laying 
queen.  Perhaps,  as  on  very  rare  occasions,  the  queen,  while  laying,  dies 
before  the  bees  have  time  to  supersede  her  in  tlie  regular  way.  The  inmates 
of  the  hive  at  once  realize  they  must  meet  this  emergency,  and  irmnediately 
go  to  work  to  rear  another  queen.  Fortimately,  nature  has  made  it  possible 
for  them  to  produce  one  from  the  larvae  or  eggs  already  in  the  hive.  They, 
therefore,  choose  a  number  of  worker  larvae  and  begin  to  feed  them  lav^ 
ishly  with  predigested  food  known  as  royal  jelly.  They  usually  fill  the  cell 
with  this  until  the  -tiny  laiTa  is  floated  out  to  the  mouth ;  then  the  bees  build 
a  queen-cell  over  it,  pointing  it  downward.  This  new  cell  is  frequently  over 
an  inch  long,  and  is  much  larger  inside  than  that  of  the  worker.  The 
bees  feed  the  larva  until  about  five  days  after  it  is  hatched  from  an  egg,  and 

then  the  cell  is  sealed 
over  by  them.  The 
iarva  within  spins  a 
jmall  thui  cocoon, 
changes  from  a  larva 
into  a  pupa,  and,  in 
about  eight  days 
from  the  time  the 
cell  is  sealed,  the  vir- 
gin queen  gnaws  off 
the  cap  of  the  cell 
and  crawls  out.  For 
a  few  hours  she  is  a 
weak,  frail  creature, 
downy  and  deUcate. 
However,  she  devel- 
ops rapidly,  and  in 
from  two  to  four 
hours,  realizing  she 
is  a  queen,  she,  just 
as  many  monarchs  in 
the  human  family, 
becomes  very  jealous 
of  any  who  may 
have  ambitious  to 
ij^.  ^,f  eaiii.  possess  her  throne.  It 

11 


*9f> 


»j^msissssif^ 


CONDiriOXS  UNn?JR  WTIICTI  BEES  HEAR  QUEENS.— Chapter  II. 

is  interesting'  to  note  tlic  events  wliicli  take  place  in  tiio  lii\e  for  the  ne.xt 
few  hours. 

Having  in  mind  the  suppression  of  competition,  the  new  queen  loams 
over  the  combs.  Tf  there  are  any  queen-cells  from  which  the  queens  ha\e 
not  emerticd,  she  supervises  the  destruction  ol'  them.  The  workers  ])ertorn> 
most  of  the  labor  under  her  directions,  although  she  helps  as  best  she  can. 
She  begins  on  the  cells  whose  queens  are  most  mature.  She  seems  to  reason 
these  are  the  ones  likely  to  give  her  the  first  trouble.  An  opening  is  made  in 
the  side  of  each,  and,  if  the  inmate  is  about  ready  to  emerge,  the  queen 
backs  down  into  the  ojiening  in  the  side  of  the  cell  and  stings  her  helpless 
rival.  The  opening  is  then  enlarged,  and  the  dead  queen  is  carried  out  by 
the  bees.  Other  cells  are  \isited  and  destroyed  in  turn.  However,  if  there 
are  queen-cells  uncai)ped,  these  aie  left  for  a  Avhile,  the  newlj^  emerged 
queen  seeming  to  realize  that  she  has  plenty  of  time  to  handle  their  cases 
before  they  become  any  menace  to  her. 

Now,  it  frequently  happens  that,  while  this  young  queen  is  finding  her- 
self for  the  first  two  hours  after  emerging,  other  queens  emerge,  and  sev- 
eral virgin  queens  will  be  in  tlie  hive  at  once.  They  seem  to  realize  they 
are  too  young  to  do  any  satisfactory  fighting,  so  by  mutual  consent  they 
avoid  each  other's  society  and  devote  their  time  to  supervising  the  destruc- 
tion of  queen-cells.  However,  as  they  grow  from  four  to  twelve  hours  old, 
they  begin  to  seek  out  their  rivals  with  the  idea  of  doing  battle.  When  they 
meet  they  clinch,  and  each  tries  to  get  a  chance  to  sting  the  other.  The 
fight  does  not  last  long,  for  soon  one  gets  in  the  coveted  position  to  give  the 
fatal  thrust  of  the  sting  in  the  thorax  of  her  rival.  The  vanquished  queen 
quivers  a  moment,  and  is  dead. 

Other  "preliminary"  fights  are  staged  until  only  two  queens  are  left. 
Then  the  "final"  duel  takes  place,  and  the  victorious  queen  reigns  supreme. 

In  due  time  queen-cells  in  all  stages  of  development  are  destroyed, 
and  in  six,  seven  or  eight  days  the  virgin  queen  flies  out  of  the  hive,  meets 
the  drone,  and  returns,  to  become  the  mother  of  the  colony,  beginning  her 
egg-laying  within  the  next  day  or  two. 

A  different  order  of  events  has  been  given  by  others,  who  state  tliat 
the  first  thing  a  young  queen  does  is  to  hunt  up  her  rival  and  fight  it  out; 
but  I  have  witnessed  the  occurrences  many  limes  as  above  described.  Indeed, 
when  occasionally  grafted  cells  have  been  left  too  long  in  the  hive,  upon 
qpening  it  I  ha\-.e  found  many  queens  safe  and  well,  all  busily  engaged  in 
tearing  down  cells.  I  have  counted  as  many  as  fourteen  superintending  this 
work  of  destruction  before  any  ])attle  had  l)egun.  They  have  been  given  to 
nuclei,  thus  saving  them. 

The  most  unsatisfactory  manner  in  which  bees  rear  queens  is  the 
Emergency  method.  The  bees  seem  to  feel  their  danger  of  extinction  from 
having  no  queens.  In  their  frenzy,  a  large  number  of  cells  are  started.  To 
make  a  l)ad  matter  worse,  they  take  lai'vae  that  are  too  old,  with  an  idea 
probably  of  rearing  some  sort  of  queen  in  the  shortest  possible  time.  We 
all  know  that  in  satisfactory  queen-rearing,  the  younger  the  larva  used,  the 
better.  By  this  method,  the  oldest  larva  chosen  is  the  first  to  hatch,  so  the 
poorest  queen  in  the  batch  is  the  one  that  heads  the  colony.  However,  as 
this  is  an  emergency  case,  the  bees  seem  to  reason  tliaf,  if  this  queen  is  not 


CONDITIOSS  USl)i:i!    WHICH   nnns  /,'/•;.!/,•  queens.— Chapter  11. 

as  good  as  she  should  !)(',  Uu'v  cnii  hike  their  lime  and  I'eai'  a  uood  ono  later 
on  by  tlie  supeiscdiiic  method. 

Supersedure  Method. 

When  a  queen  is  begiiinini-'  to  fail  ironi  old  age  or  some  other  infiiiu- 
ity,  the  bees  seem  to  realize  that  she  can  not  be  with  them  mucli  longer,  so 
they  take  steps  toward  rearing  for  themselves  a  new  mother.  Queen-cells 
are  started,  sometimes  only  one,  seldom  more  than  four.  In  these  shallow 
cups  the  queen  lays  eggs.  As  soon  as  hatched,  the  larvae  are  fed  royal 
jelly,  and,  as  they  receive  the  care  and  attention  of  the  whole  colony,  good 
queens  are,  as  a  rule,  the  result.  Sometimes  the  bees  seem  to  wait  \uitil  the 
old  queen  is  so  far  gone  that  she  lays  several  eggs  in  a  (lueen-cell,  which 
results  in  the  larvae  not  having  sufficient  food  since  they  have  to  share  it 
with  their  "cell  mates."  Owing  to  their  being  crowded  in  the  cell,  such 
queens  are  sometimes  slightly  misshapen.  Usually,  however,  all  but  one  of 
the  lar^-ae  are  removed  before  the  cell  is  sealed.  Under  the  sui)ersedui-e 
method,  however,  poor  queens  are  rare  and,  as  a  rule,  the  best  of  queens 
are  reared.  Usually  the  old  queen  disappears  as  soon  as  the  virgin  emerges 
from  the  cell ;  but,  sometimes,  mother  and  daughter  live  peaceably  together, 
both  laying  and  usually  found  on  the  same  comb. 

Queens  Reared  Under  the  Swarming  Impulse. 

When  a  colony  is  preparing  to  swarm  they  start  a  large  number  of 
queen-cells  in  which  the  queen  lays  eggs.  When  the  first  cell  is  capped,  if 
the  weather  is  favorable,  the  swarm  usually  comes  out.  As  swarming  occurs 
when  the  colony  is  at  its  height  of  brood-rearing,  the  larvae  are  well  sup- 
plied with  royal  jelly,  so  that  the  finest  queens  are  reared.  In  rearing 
queens  by  any  method,  we  can  learn  a  great  deal  by  eai'efully  studying  the 
conditions  of  the  bees  while  building  cells  preparatory  fo  swarming,  for  we 
wish  to  duplicate  the  performance. 

Under  the  Emergency  method,  the  bees  build  a  large  number  of 
cells,  but  they  do  not  give  them  the  proper  attention  and  skimp  the  lan^ie 
for  food.  Under  the  Supersedure  method,  they  give  the  larvae  plenty 
of  food,  but  usually  do  not  build  moi-e  than  three  or  four  cells.  Under  the' 
Swarming  Impulse,  they  not  only  build  large  numbers  of  cells  but  supply 
the  larvae  in  them  lavishly  Avith  food.  \Vhat  is  the  leason  for  this?  Is  it 
liecause  they  haxc  the  "swarming  fever"  that  indir-es  them  to  do  such  good 
work?  I  believe  not.  My  observations  lead  me  to  believe  it  is  the  rojxiition 
ol'  the  colony  and,  in  snppoit  of  this  theory,  1  have  found  that  as  many  and 
as  good  cells  may  l)e  hiiilt  by  a  colony  when  not  i^reparing  to  swarm  as  by 
one  that  is,  provided  the  conditions  are  the  same  in  all  other  lespects. 

What  are  these  conditions?  First,  a  honey  flow  is  on  or  just  coming  on, 
lor  bees  seldoni  swarm  at  any  othei'  time.  Second,  they  are  strong  in  bees, 
especially  young  nurse  bees.  Third,  the  hive  is  crowded  with  brood  in  all 
stages:  and  foui-tli,  the  wcjither  is  reasonaI)ly  warm.  1  believe  these  condi- 
tions enable  tiie  1)ees  to  icai'  not  only  a  large  number  of  queens  l)ut  those  of 
the  highest  i|iialit,\.  I'nderstand,  it  is  the  coudHitin,  not  the  sirarming  fever. 
As  evidence  to  substantiate  this  statement,  the  following  fact,  which  1 
have  observed  manv  times,  is  given.     AVhile  havinu'  cells  finished  above  an 


CONDITIONS  UNDER  WTIWII  BEES  REAR  QUEENS.— Chapter  II. 

excluder,  sometimes  the  bees  take  it  into  their  heads  to  swarm,  and  as  bars 
of  cells  are  capped  the  swarm  issues.  Since  the  wings  of  the  queen  are 
clipped  the  bees  return,  and  the  queen  is  helped  back  into  tlie  hive.  Re- 
moving the  bar  of  cells  frequently  discourages  swarming  but  sometimes 
they  persist,  coming  out  every  day  or  every  other  day  for  a  week  or  more 
as  the  spirit  moves  them.  1  have  never  been  able  to  see  that,  while  they  had 
this  swarming  fever,  they  gave  the  cells  any  better  attention  than  before 
or  after  swarming.  This  fact  satisfied  me  that  it  is  the  condition  of  the  col- 
ony and  the  honey  flow  or  the  feeding  that  give  good  results  in  cell- 
building. 

Under  the  Grafting  method,  we  endeavor  to  get  all  colonies  connected 
with  queen-rearing  in  the  condition  above  described.  If  we  do,  we  can 
rear  queens  every  bit  as  good  as  those  reared  under  the  swarming  impulse; 
if  we  do  not,  inferior  queens  will  result.  By  examining  the  cells,  one  can 
easily  tell  which  of  the  three'  methods  the  bees  used  in  their  construction. 
In  the  Emergency  method,  the  queen  is  reared  from  a  larva  that  has 
hatched  in  a  worker-cell,  so  by  looking  into  the  bottom  of  the  queen-cell, 
the  worker-cell  may  be  seen.  In  the  Supersedure  method  as  well  as  the 
Swarming  method,  the  cells  are  the  same.  The  queen  lays  eggs  in  both; 
but,  during  tlie  swarming,  many  more  cells  are  built  than  under  the  super- 
seding impulse. 


QUEEN-REARING  FOR  THE  SMALL  BEEKEEPER. 


CHAPTER  III. 


There  are  several  methods  that  may  be  employed  where  one  wishes  to 
rear  but  a  few  queens.  Cells,  saved  from  a  colony  that  has  just  swarmed, 
may  be  placed  in  colonies  to  be  requeened.  whose  queens  have  been  re- 
moved. This  is  much  better  than  to  allow  colonies  to  run  along  with  in- 
ferior queens ;  but,  by  this  method,  little  progress  can  be  made  in  improving 
the  stock  since,  when  you  wish  to  requeen,  your  best  colony  may  not  be 
swarming.  Consequently,  you  would  have  to  use  cells  from  an  inferior 
colony.  It  has  frequently  been  noted  that  the  inferior  strains  of  bees 
swarm  the  most.  Blacks  and  hybrids  are  much  more  inclined  to  swarm 
than  Italians. 

In  requeening'  by  the  swarming  method,  a  piece  of  comb  one  inch  in 
diameter  should  be  cut  out  around  the  cell,  using  a  good,  sharp  knife,  and 
being  careful  not  to  injure  the  cell.  A  hole  of  corresponding  size  should  be 
cut  in  the  comb  of  the  colony  to  be  requeened  and  the  piece  containing  the 
cell  fitted  into  it.  Where  but  one  cell  is  on  a  comb,  the  entire  comb  may  be 
i:»laced  in  the  colony  to  be  requeened.  If  this  colony  is  of  medium  strength 
or  strong,  it  makes  no  difference  just  where  the  cell  is  placed  for  there  will 
be  sufficient  bees  to  give  it  the  proper  incubation.  The  bees  may  be  left 
on  this  comb  or  brushed  off,  but  never  should  be  shaken  off  since  the  un- 
developed queen  is  almost  sure  to  be  injured.  In  giving  a  cell  to  a  weak 
colony  or  a  nucleus,  it  is  important  to  place  it  near  the  center  next  to  the 
brood.  Frequently  cells  built  on  the  bottom  edge  of  a  comb  when  given  to 
a  weak  colony  do  not  mature. 

A  second  and  very  simple  method  of  requeening  is  simply  to  remove 
the  queen  from  a  colony,  and  the  bees  will  construct  a  number  of  cells  by 
the  Emergency  method.  Such  queens  are  not,  as  a  rule,  as  good  as  those 
reared  under  the  Swarming  or  Supersedure  Impulse.  If  care  is  taken  to 
save  only  the  largest  and  best  cells,  however,  very  good  queens  can  be  reared 
in  this  way.  The  princijoal  point  to  commend  in  both  of  the  above  methods 
is  their  simplicity.  If  one  has  never  reared  queens,  these  will  prove  very 
interesting  and  are  a  step  toward  better  ones. 

The  third  system  requires  a  little  more  skill,  but  will  produce  cells  a? 
good  as  the  best  if  care  is  taken  to  have  all  conditions  right.  Go  to  the 
colony  containing  your  breeding  queen  and  insert  an  empty  comb  into  the 
center  of  the  brood-nest.  Leave  this  there  for  two  or  three  days  or  until 
the  queen  has  laid  a  large  number  of  eggs  in  the  cells.  Remove  it,  how- 
ever, before  the  eggs  begin  to  hatch  since  our  object  is  to  get  the  bees  to  use 
very  small  larvae  from  which  to  rear  queens. 

Next,  go  to  a  strong  colony  and  take  the  queen  and  all  combs  con- 
taining eggs  or  brood,  but  leave  with  the  bees  several  coml)s  of  honey  and 
l)ollen  and  give  them  the  frame  of  eggs  from  your  breeding  queen.  If  it  is 
desired  to  save  this  queen,  she  is  given  a  frame  of  brood  and  adhering  bees 


QlJKKy-ltKAHlSG  FOR   TIIK  SMALL  BKEKEEPEE.— Chapter  III. 

aii.l  put  iuto  :i  liive  to  slail  n  new  colony.  Fill  out  the  vacant  space  with 
coiiihs  containing  some  lioney,  if  possible.  Ji'  you  have  no  extra  drawn- 
<-oinl)s  on  lianil  it  is  better  to  take  a  few  from  other  colonies  and  in  their 
place  give  iull  slieets  of  foinulalion,  for  they  will  do  better  work  at  drawl- 
ing foundation  than  woukl  this  new  colony  which  is  not  strong  enough 
for  that  puriiose.  The  remainder  of  the  brood  is  used  to  strengthen 
weaker  colonies  or  to  make  strong  colonies  even  stronger  for  the  honey  flow 
as  occasion  seems  to  demand. 

Having  now  disposed  of  the  queen  and  l)rood,  let  us  go  back  to  our 
(|uecnless  colony.  Realizing  their  queenlessiicss,  the  bees  will  start  cells 
as  soon  as  the  eggs  ])egin  to  hatch.  Very  frequently  by  enlarging  the 
worker-cell,  they  make  it  over  into  a  queen-cell  even  before  the  egg  hatches. 
In  this  manner  the  newly  hatclied  larvae  receive  abundance  of  royal  jelly 
fioiu  the  very  start,  which  is  necessary  for  the  best  results.  This  method 
lias  the  advantage  over  the  others  just  described  since  the  bees  can  not  use 
larvae  too  old  for  good  results.  However,  it  should  only  be  used  when 
there  is  a  honey  flow.  In  about  six  days  after  the  cells  are  capped,  they 
should  be  cut  out  with  a  sharp  knife,  and  given  to  colonies  to  be  requeened 
which  have  been  made  queenless.  When  there  are  laivae  of  the  i)roi)er  age 
at  the  bottom  of  the  comb,  the  bees  prefer  to  build  cells  there,  sometimes 
l)uilding  a  compact  row  of  cells  half  way  across  the  comb.  In  such  cases 
some  of  the  cells  will  have  to  be  destroyed  when  being  cut  apait.  In  giv- 
ing this  coud)  of  eggs  to  the  colony,  if  there  are  no  eggs  at  the  bottom  of 
I  lie  coiid),  it  is  well  to  cut  away  the  comb  so  that  the  eggs  will  be  at  the 
edge.  Tiiis  is  not  necessary,  liowe\er,  for  the  bees  w'ill  stai't  plenty  of  ceils 
if  the  comb  is  left  intact.  As  the  operation  of  forming  nuclei  to  receive 
them,  when  that  is  desired,  is  llie  same  as  given  undei'  the  Grafting  metiiixl. 
it  will  not  be  described  here. 

The  Grafting  Method. 


]f  one  keeps  as 
future,  it  will  \m\  liii 


to  len 


fifty  colonies  or  exited s  to  do  so  in  the 
the  grafting  method.     Tliis  requii-es  mucli 


i^UEKy-UKAHlSii   lOlt    THK  bM M.L   II KKKEEPER— Chapter  HI. 

more  skill  and  inuftict'  lluui  tlie  ones  above  mentioned;  but  it  has  so  many 
advantages  over  all  the  rest  that  it  is  used  by  nearly  all  queen-breeders  and 
extensive  lioney  producers  who  rear  their  own  queens. 

Tliis  method  is  more  economical,  tor  it  is  not  necessaiy  to  have  any 
colony  queenless  at  any  time.  You  have  control  over  the  situation  and 
can  rear  queens  in  any  quantity  desired.  It  is  exact,  since  you  know  within 
a  very  tew  hours  when  any  cell  will  hatch.  The  artificial  queen  cups  are 
much  easier  to  handle,  lor  with  them  it  is  not  necessary  to  cut  up  and 
mutilate  good  worker  combs.  Larvae  can  be  taken  from  your  best  breeding 
queen  and  the  stock  improved  thereby.  Last  but  not  least,  the  very  best 
queens  can  be  reared,  if  conditions  are  kept  right.  To  rear  a  few  queens 
during  a  honey  flow  is  a  simple  matter ;  but  to  keep  up  a  steady  production 
throughout  the  season  under  variable  weather  and  honey  flow  is  not  a 
sinqile  matter.     However,  with  experience  and  patience  it  can  be  done. 


1  ..Mm 

1^^^ 

^■-.:--r^r;'^^. 

U 

"^~W'  •' 

^^^i^S 

-'  ^  y^^^:< 

■.j^X,.    .■ 

y^^ 

%i?'f 

-*is'^* 

-p^^y- 

"P^,  '■.- 

■  ■'■    ^  ■  ■*  *^-  ■"    '. 

:--    , 

.•^%-*-- ^ 

.     •  >■        ■-  v»    . 

-.^'\ 
'>'-'" 

^1Si 

'■  IBS,:.'?^: 

*|; 

y 

Hlp*-5!l?*y"t.   1  11 

■m. 

r  *<^^^K^  IfcSHj 

\ 

U-ar 

'Im 

"^^          ■:      ^ 

f 

pm 

^^ 

REARING  QUEENS  ON  A  LARGE  SCALE. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


1  thoroughly  believe  that  many  beekeepers  who  have  a  thousand  colo- 
nies or  more  and  who  do  not  rear  their  own  queens  could  increase  their 
honey  yield  fifty  per  cent  by  liaving  a  good  queen-rearing  outfit  and  being 
able  to  use  it  properly.  Moreover,  in  localities  where  European  foul  brood 
is  rampant  the  honey  crop  might  be  doubled  or  trebled,  since  there  is 
nothing  that  eliminates  this  disease  like  strong  colonies  of  Italian  bees 
headed  by  young,  vigorous  queens. 

Headwork. 

Some  of  the  most  important  work  that  can  possibly  be  done  in  the 
winter  months  is  reading  bee  books  and  journals,  of  which  we  have  a  goodly 
supply  of  the  highest  standard.  Secure  all  the  books  you  can  and  take  all 
of  the  journals.  If  you  do  this  and  carefully  study  them,  it  will  be  the 
best  investment  you  can  make.    Read,  study  and  plan  in  the  winter. 

We  should  remember  that  successful  business  men  work  with  their 
heads.  They  can  hire  hand  work  at  a  low  figure;  but  headwork  is  always 
at  a  premium.  A  great  deal  of  headwork  is  required  of  the  successful 
beekeeper,  and  much  of  this  work  can  be  done  in  winter.  During  the  honey 
fiow  we  are  too  busy  working  with  our  hands  to  do  much  headwork.  J.  S. 
Knox,  the  efficiency  expert,  says  that  a  man  is  worth  $2.50  per  day  from 
his  chin  downward.  If  he  earns  more  than  this,  it  must  come  from  above 
the  chin.  Consequently,  he  divides  men  into  two  classes,  "Chin  Uppers" 
and  "Chin  Downers."  If  we  are  successful  we  must  be  "chin  uppers."  For 
the  beekeeper  the  best  time  to  do  his  "chin  upper"  work  is  in  the  winter 
sitting  before  a  comfortable  fire,  reading,  thinking,  studying,  planning. 

]\Ioreover,  as  there  is  a  great  deal  of  work  to  be  done  with  the  bees 
during  the  queen-rearing  season,  one  should  plan  to  do  all  the  work  pos- 
sible in  the  winter.  Nailing  up  hives  and  nuclei,  painting  them,  putting 
in  foundation,  dipping  cells  and  siinilai-  work  should  all  be  gotten  out  of 
llie  way  before  spring  comes. 


DIPPING  CELLS. 


CHAPTER  V. 


Since  I  know  more  about  the  way  /  rear  queens  than  I  do  about  the 
way  any  one  else  does  it,  I  wish  to  take  the  reader  with  me  through  the 
season,  while  I  attempt  to  show  in  detail  how  I  rear  queens.  Possibly,  you 
have  methods  of  your  own  that  you  prefer.  I  do  not  claim  to  have  a 
monopoly  on  all  the  good  things  in  queen-rearing,  but  will  be  content  if 
you  find  some  little  feature  which  I  use  that  you  consider  worthy  of  adop- 
tion, and  which  may  be  of  help  to  you. 

Let  us  start  by  dipping  cells  as  this  can  be  done  in  the  winter.  Wax  is 
saved  from  the  year  previous.  For  this  a  solar  wax  extractor  is  an  im- 
portant item.    During  the  summer  months,  many  small  pieces  of  comb  are 

found  that  can  be  thrown  into 
it.  This  makes  the  finest  cell- 
building  wax.  In  the  nuclei, 
bits  of  comb  are  built  and  when 
introducing  queens,  where  a 
frame  is  taken  out,  the  bees 
will  construct  more  or  less 
comb.  All  these  can  go  into 
the  wax  extractor.  From  the 
wax  extractor,  the  wax  is  placed 
in  small  molds,  for  use  in  dip- 
ping queen-cells.  I  have  enough 
cell  bars  to  last  tlie  season,  so 
we  always  dip  sufficient  each 
winter  to  supply  us  through 
the  entire  summer. 

Our  cell-dipping  outfit  con- 
tains twenty  cell-forming  sticks, 
which  work  through  holes  made 
in  two  pieces  of  heavy  tin. 
Metal  is  much  better  tlun  wood 
since  the  latter  swells  when  wet, 
and  the  forming  sticks  do  not 

A  solar  wax  extractor  is  an  im„ortant  Hem.        ^^^j,    ^^.^^j^    through    the   holes. 

These  pieces  of  tin  are  fourteen  or  fifteen  inches  long,  fastened  one  and 
one-quarter  inches  apart  to  small  blocks  of  wood,  which  are  to  serve  as 
handles  when  dipping  the  bars  into  the  trays.  Each  piece  of  metal  is 
pierced  with  twenty  holes,  one-fourth  inch  apart,  and  seven-sixteenths  inch 
in  diameter.  The  holes  are  exactly  opposite  each  other  on  the  two  bars,  in 
order  that  the  cell-forming  sticks  may  slip  up  and  down  through  them  easily. 
Two  trays  are  used,  one  five  by  sixteen  inches,  the  other  two  and  one- 
half  by  fifteen  inches.     Water  is  placed  in  tlie  larger  forming  a  double 


nil'I'/Xa  CI'HJ.S.      Clmnlrr    I 


foriiiin;;   sliiks. 


boiler;  wliile  wax  is  i)liU'e(l  in  the  inner  tray,  nnd  the  whole  set  ovei'  the 
heat.  The  wax  should  he  kept  at  the  lowest  temperature  at  wliicli  it  will 
remain  liquid.  It'  it  becomes  too  cool  the  cells  will  be  lumpy;  it  too  hot, 
they  do  not  slijt  from  the  sticks.  Jf  one  is  not  experienced,  it  is  well,  when 
(he  wax  apparently  reaches  the  propei'  temperature  for  successful  (lipi)inii-, 
to  try  dipi>in,ij- one  stick,  and,  if  the  wax  ])roves  of  satisfactory  temperature, 
liroceed  to  woik. 

Fiist,  dip  the  ends  of  the  forminii'  sticks  in  cold  water,  then  dip  into 
the  melted  wax:  a_i;aiii  dip  in  water  and  back  into  the  wax  tor  about  four 
dippings,  care  l)eing'  taken  to  hnxc  a  firm,  thick  base,  with  a  thin,  e\en  edge. 
By  dip]>ing  the  sticks  in  the  wax  and  holding  the  l)ar  \i\)  until  a  drop 
forms  on  the  base  of  tlie  cell,  a  thick  base  is  procured.  A  thick  base  is 
necessary,  fur  in  trimming  off  tiie  cells  with  a  knife  the  cells  would  be  in- 
jured if  too  short.  When  completed,  tlie  cells  should  be  about  five-sixteenths 
of  an  inch  aci'oss  the  moutii  and  one-half  inch  deej)  inside  measurements. 

Many  beekeei)ers  make  a  mistake  in  believing  that  the  umst  important 
feature  for  successful  cell  acceptance  is  the  grafting  of  the  larvae  into  the 
cell  cups;  but  a  fai'  more  important  feature  is  that  of  uudving  cells  of  the 
l)roper  shape  and  size.  The  ideal  cell  would  be  as  the  bees  build  them, 
large  inside,  with  a  small  mouth;  but  it  is  not  possible,  or  at  least  prac- 
tical for  the  beekeeper  to  make  cells  of  this  shape.  Ui>on  several  occasions, 
1  have  given  cells  that  had  been  accepted  and  slightly  built  out  in  the 
swarm  box  to  a  colony  for  finishing,  when  by  accident  it  contaiiieil  a  \  ir- 
gin  queen.     Of  coui'se,  the  larvae  and  jelly  were  both  (luickly  cleaned  out. 


niri'ISC,  CKJJ.S.— Chapter  V. 


J  have  ui\cii  oiu'  l)ar  of  such  (-ells  to  a  swaim  hox  and  two  l)ars  of  our 
dipped  cells.  The  bees  seemed  to  coiieeiitiate  all  their  efforts  on  the  cells 
already  woiked  on  i)y  the  i)ees  and  neiilected  my  dipped  cells.  The  bees 
prefer  to  maUe  the  mouth  of  the  cell  just  larue  enouuh  for  a  worker  bee  to 
crawl  into,  and  it  is  frequently  noticed  that  sometimes,  in  the  worker's 
haste  to  back  out  of  a  queen-cell  when  smoke  is  blown  into  the  hive,  it  is 
caught  and  has  to  do  consideral)le  scrand)ling-  and  kicking  before  it  can 
get  out.  I  find  the  best  cell  for  i)ractical  i)ur[)oses  is  one  whose  size  is  be- 
tween that  of  the  inside  of  a  natural  queen-cell  at  its  largest  place  and  the 
mouth  of  the  cell,  this  being  five-sixteenths  of  an  inch  as  given  above.  In 
our  early  experience,  many  of  us,  enthusiastic  in  rearing  larger  queens, 
sought  to  accomplish  this  by  making  larger  cells;  but,  being  large  at  the 
mouth,  the  bees  were  loath  to  accept  them,  and  it  took  considerable  work 
on  their  part  to  build  them  over  to  the  size  they  should  be.  When  the  bees 
get  to  work  on  the  cells  they  mould  them  into  the  shape  they  want,  regard- 
less of  the  size  and  shape  the  beekeeper  has  uu^de  them.  The  smaller  cells 
will  give  better  acceptance  than  the  larger  ones;  but  do  not  for  a  moment 
imagine  this  cramps  the  lai'va  and  produces  an  inferior  queen,  for  the  bees 
enlarge  the  cell  to  suit  their  own  fancy.  For  experimental  purposes  i 
have  dipped  queen-cells  the  size  of  a  worker-cell,  and  excellent  results  were 
obtained.  Cells  larger  than  five-sixteenths  of  an  inch  are  not  accepted  so 
readily  as  those  of  this  size  or  smaller. 

Nothing  but  pui'e  beeswax  of  good  quality  should  be  used.  Upon  one 
occasion,  when  everything  was  going  finely,  cells  accepted  and  built  out  nice- 
ly, the  bees  in  the  swarm  boxes  began  to  balk  until  finally  they  accepted 
less  than  twenty-five  per  cent  of  those  given.  1  had  all  conditions  right,  as 
1  supposed,  the  same  as  before — plenty  of  young  bees,  well  fed.  At  length 
I  noticed  the  wax  of  which  we  made  the  cells  was  not  so  white  as  some  we 
liad  been  using.  I  made  up  a  new  batch  of  cells  from  clear  white  wax,  and, 
as  if  by  magic,  all  cells  were  again  accepted  and  everything  went  on  splen- 
didly as  before.  Instead  of  heating  the  Avax  in  a  double  boiler  as  we  do 
now,  this  wax  had  been  set  directly  over  the  flame  and  had  become  slightly 
scorched  and  darkened,  so  the  bees  would  ha\e  none  of  it. 

After  the  cells  have  remained  in  water  long  enough  to  become  sliglifly 
hardened,  they  are  !oo-eiiei1  by  ui\ing  each  a  slight  twist,  but  allowed  to  re- 
iitaiii  oil  tic  slicks.     Tlie\'  are  then  |  Ire  d  on  (lie  cell  bar.  the  frame  being 

s  u  p  p  o  1-  f  e  d  on 
blocks.  .\  small 
round  paint  brush 
is  dipped  in  hot 
wax,  and  the  cell 
cups  painted  at 
the  base  where 
they  come  in  con- 
tact with  the  cell 
l.,i  r.  A  kettle 
slioidd  i)e  kept  at 
haiiil  for  melting 
.■Mlditioiial  wax  to 
ad. I   to  tliat   ill  the 


DIPPING  CELLS— Chapter  V. 


inner  tray,  in  onk'r  that  siinioient  wax  may  l)e  luul  to  make  the  cells  the 
necessary  one-iiaif  ini-li  in  depth.  If  the  wax  in  either  becomes  dark- 
colored  or  impure  it  should  be  discarded,  and  an  entire  batch  of  new  clear 
wax  placed  in  the  tray.  However,  the  darker  wax  may  be  used  to  paint 
the  bases  of  the  cells  to  cause  them  to  adhere  to  the  bar. 

When  the  wax  has  become  thoroughly  cool,  the  frame  is  lifted  off  and 
all  of  the  forming  sticks  come  out  of  the  cells  easily.  If  properly  done,  the 
cells  will  remain  on  the  bars  even  if  subjected  to  considerable  rough  usage. 
When  the  cell  bars  are  all  finished,  they  should  be  wrapped  carefully  in 
paper  to  be  kept  free  from  dust,  since  the  bees  will  not  accept  dirty  or 
dusty  cells.  If  you  have  on  hand  the  cardboard  cartons  in  which  founda- 
tion is  shipped,  they  make  ideal  containers  for 
%>  the  cell  bars. 

Suggestions  in  Making  Cell  Cups. 

Of  course  it  is  not  advisable  for  the  beginner 
to  have  a  dipping  outfit  made  as  previously  de- 
scribed. After  mastering  the  grafting  method,  he 
may  enlarge  upon  his  equipment  as  he  wishes. 
The  beginner  can  either  dip  his  cells  one  at 
a  time  and  mount  them  or  he  can  purchase 
ready-pressed  cells  from  dealers  in  bee  sup]ilies. 
Either  one  will  give  perfect  results.  These  cells 
may  be  mounted  on  bars  as  needed,  thus  elimi- 
nating the  necessity  of  purchasing  a  large  num- 
ber of  bars.  The  base  of  these  cells  may  be 
dipped  in  hot  wax  and  stuck  on  to  the  bar 
when  needed.  To  avoid  the  necessity  of  get- 
ting the  swarm  box,  he  can  also  use  the  queen- 
less  and  broodless  method  de.?cribed  in  Chapter 
XIII.  However,  I  believe  it  pays  to  use  the 
swarm  box,  for  one  can,  as  a  rule,  get  better  re- 
sults. In  this  way  it  is  possible  to  experiment 
until  one  gets  his  hand  in  without  putting 
much  money  into  equipment,  and  as  he  pro- 
gresses can  add  to  the  equipment  to  fit  his  re- 
quirements. 
If  one  has  difficulty  in  making  his  cells,  one  at  a  time  or  collectively, 
he  can  use  to  advantage  the  ready-made  pressed  cells  sold  by  all  dealers. 
Where  only  a  small  number  are  required  the  beginner  will  probably  do 
better  to  buy  what  few  he  uses.  The  making  of  dipjied  cells  is  a  nice 
art,  and,  unless  they  are  made  just  i-ight,  the  bcos  will  reject  tliom. 


Pressed    cell 


ROYAL  JELLY. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


Every  tliinji-  in  readiness,  we  await  the  coming-  of  spring  with  a  great 
deal  of  enthusiasm  and  no  little  impatience.  Sometimes  it  seems  spring 
weather  will  never  come;  but  it  does  no  good  to  worry  and  if  you  look 
backward,  you  remember  that  spring  has  never  yet  failed  to  come. 

Is  there  anything  more  interesting  tlian  to  watch  the  bees  bring  in 
their  first  loads  of  pollen?  If  the  beekeei)er  has  done  his  duty  toward  them 
the  season  before,  there  will  be  no  need  of  tinkering  with  them  until  later  in 
the  spring.  The  soft  maples  blossom  and  go ;  then  come  the  pear  and  apple 
blossoms,  and  soon  a  few  heads  of  white  clover  can  be  seen.  It  is  now  time 
to  get  busy  at  queen-rearing.  Some  seasons  the  weather  permits  grafting 
soon  after  the  first  blossom ;  but  it  does  not  pay  to  be  in  too  great  hurry 
lo  rear  queens  before  the  real  queen-rearing  season  arrives.  I  know  of  no 
definite  rule  concerning  the  time  for  it.  Each  person  will  have  to  find  out 
by  experimenting  until  he  knows  his  location  well  enough  to  be  reasonably 
sure  -when  to  begin. 

Many  times  in  the  Mid- West,  the  bees  are  strong  and  the  conditions 
ideal  for  cell-building  during  apple  blossoms;  but  later  the  weather  turns 
cold,  so  that  virgin  queens  can  not  get  out  to  mate.  As  nearly  as  I  can 
come  to  it,  when  the  hives  are  getting  nicely  filled  with  brood,  when  plenty 
of  pollen  is  coming  in  and  the  bees  are  gathering  a  little  nectar,  then  it  is 
time  to  begin  grafting. 

Before  grafting,  a  supply  of  royal  jelly  is  necessary.  Some  very  suc- 
cessful queen-breeders  report  they  get  satisfactory  results  without  its  use ; 
but  I  have  never  been  able  to  procure  as  large  acceptance  or  as  good  strong 
queens  without  it.  J.  W.  George  of  El  Centro,  California,  gave  to  the  bee- 
keeping fraternity  a  valuable  little  kink  when  he  explained  that  royal  jelly 
can  be  bottled  and  kept  in  perfect  condition  from  one  season  to  another.  I 
have  practiced  this  to  advantage,  and  find  one  of  the  great  difficulties  of 
queen-rearing  is  thereby  removed. 

If  you  have  no  royal  jelly  on  hand,  a  colony  may  be  made  queenless 
until  they  build  queen-cells,  when  you  can  get  the  jelly  from  them.  After 
the  first  gi-afting,  some  of  the  jelly  in  a  few  cells  you  have  produced 
may  be  used ;  but,  in  this  way,  you  continually  destroy  good  queen-cells. 

As  a  container  for  royal  jelly,  I  use  a  small  porcelain  jar  with  a  screw 
cap.  A  piece  of  waxed  cardboard  in  the  cover  makes  it  air-tight.  Let  me 
offer  a  suggestion  as  to  where  you  can  get  one  of  these  jars.  Make  a  raid 
on  your  wife's  manicuring  outfit,  and,  if  luck  is  with  you,  you  will  find  one 
of  these  jars.  To  be  sure  that  luck  will  be  with  you,  better  do  it  when  she 
is  out.  This  jar  usually  has  some  pink  dope  in  it.  Take  this  out,  put  it  into 
a  tin  can,  present  it  to  your  wife  with  your  compliments  and  make  off  with 
the  jar.  Thoroughly  sterilize  this  jar  by  boiling,  for  the  bees  seem  to  ob- 
ject to  (he  fiuiiiy  smell  that  comes  with  it.    If  your  wile  does  not  have  this, 


ROYAL  JELLY.— Chapter  VI. 

or  if  you  do  not  liavc  a  wife,  you  can  .uo  to  tlio  drui:'  stori'  ami  liiid  just  iIm' 
size  and  style  tliat  suit  you.  The  dope  looks  as  tliousili  it  niiiiht  l)e  of  use 
if  you  put  it  into  tlie  grease  cups  of  your  Hivvoi',  hut  1  do  not  want  to  su;:- 
j,''est  too  many  daniierous  exi)orinients  for  you  to  try  all  at  onco.  Foi'  a 
jelly  spoon,  1  prefer  to  make  one  out  of  the  hone  handle  of  a  toothhrush, 
which  also  may  be  found  in  the  manicuring-  outfit.  Hreak  off  the  lirush 
and  wliittle  down  the  small  end  until  it  fits  nicely  into  a  worker-cell.  This 
jelly  spoon  and  the  jelly  jar  are  to  be  carried  in  the  ])ocket  of  your  trous- 
ers or  dress,  whichever  you  wear.  "While  woi'king  with  your  bees  during 
the  season,  you  Avill  be  running-  acioss  colonies  that  lune  royal  jelly  to  spare. 
Whenever  a  swarm  issues,  just  take  out  the  jar  and  spoon  and  get  the  royal 
jelly,  I  have  found  that  I  come  across  enough  in  my  regular  work  so  that 
I  never  have  to  make  any  special  hunt  I'oi'  jelly.  It  is  well  to  have  two  of 
these  jars;  keep  one  in  your  pockcl  and  the  otiici-  in  the  grafting-  room. 


THE  SWARM  BOX. 

CHAPTER  VII. 


There  are  several  methods  used  for  lietliuu-  cells  accepted  and  started 
by  the  bees;  but  wben  all  things  are  considered,  I  believe  the  swarm  box 
has  more  desirable  features  than  any  other.  For  best  results  the  swarm 
box  must  be  kept  in  even  temperature.  It  gives  perfect  results  during  cool 
A\eather,  for,  by  placing  it  in  the  cellar,  cave  or  basement,  the  outside 
temperature  does  not  affect  the  bees.  During  hot  weather  it  gives  equally 
good  results  for  the  same  reason.  By  using-  the  swarm  box  it  is  not  neces- 
sary to  have  any  colony  queenless  at  any  time. 

The  box  is  made  eight  inches  wide,  inside  measurement,  and  should  be 
the  right  length  and  depth  to  take  the  sized  brood-frame  to  be  used,  allow- 
ing about  an  inch  sjiace  below  the  frames.  The  bottom  is  covered  with 
wire-screen  cloth.  Four  legs  one  inch  long  are  fastened  to  the  bottom  in 
order  to  provide  plenty  of  ventilation.  At  each  end  of  the  box  two  strips 
of  wood  are  nailed  inside  to  support  the  cell  bars.  These  should  be  placed 
so  that  the  cell  l)ars  will  be  a  little  lower  than  the  top  of  the  brood-frames. 
A  cover  is  made  with  cleats  running  entirely  around,  forming  a  telescope 
cover  one  inch  deeii.  In  the  center  of  this  cover  is  made  an  oblong  opening- 
large  enough  so  that  three  cell  bars  may  be  passed  through  it  with  ease. 
The  object  of  this  cover,  which  is  little  more  than  a  rim  around  the  edge, 
is  to  prevent  the  bees  from  boiling  out  over  the  sides  when  the  bars  are 
being  put  into  the  swarm  box.  A  second  cover  slides  on  top  of  the  tele- 
scope cover,  thus  closing  the  opening  in  it.  The  end-cleats  on  tlie  telescope 
cover  extend  a  little  above,  and  thus  kee])  the  n))iier  cover  in  place.     Two 


111-   >uariii    liox. 


rilK  S)VM!M   IIOX.     ('liai>lrr  I'll. 


which  is  merely  a  thin  board 
hold  the  thiee  cell  bars.  In 
the  bars  to  koop  out  li.iiht  an 
to  make  tlie  lillin-  hole  at  tli 
lor  the  l)ars. 


h('a\y  wire  handles  swini;  up 
over  the  ends  so  that,  when  the 
swarm  box  is  beintr  carried, 
these  covers  cannot  fall  off.  A 
round  openin,si-  is  made  in  the 
top  of  the  upjier  cover  by  the 
use  of  an  expansive  bit  just 
the  size  to  take  the  cap  of  a 
INIason  jar.  When  feeding 
the  bees,  a  Mason  jar  with  a 
perforated  cap  is  used  in  this 
opening,  which  is  also  utilized 
for  i^utting  the  bees  into  the 
swarui  box  by  inserting  a  tin 
funnel  and  shaking  the  bees 
from  the  combs  into  the  box. 
The  box  is  given  two  coats  of 
paint  to  prevent  its  warping 
so  it  will  thus  remain  bee- 
tight.  When  made  in  such  a 
way  as  to  have  the  cell  bars 
inside,  the  bees  may  cluster  all 
around  them  and  thus  keep  the 
temperature  uniform,  which 
gives  much  better  results  than 
the  old  style  where  the  bars 
were  placed  in  slots  in  the 
cover. 

The  old-style  swarm  box  is 
somewhat  easier  to  make  and 

_.  lor      experimental      purposes 

inig'ht  be  preferi'ed  by  some. 

'"  "*^-  It  is  similar  to  the  one  just 

described    except    the    cover, 

with  an  opening  cut  in  the  toji  large  enougli  to 
using  this  it  is  well  to  jilace  a  cushion  over 

il  rolain  the  heat.     In  this  style  it  is  necessary 

('  cud  ol'  the  cover  to  avoid  the  ojiening  made 


GETTING  THE  BEES  IN  CONDITION  FOR  CELL-BUILDING. 


CHAPTER  VTII. 


Let  us  reuieiiiber  that  for  the  best  results  in  eell-l)uiUlin^-  we  must 
have  plenty  of  j'ouny  bees  which  are  being  lavishly  fed  either  from  a  honey 
flow  or  from  receiving'  sugar  syrup.  This  condition  is  necessary  where  even 
a  few  cells  are  being  built  by  the  colony.  Now,  as  we  wish  tliem  to  build  a 
large  number  of  cells,  the  colony  must  be  exceedingly  strong.  As  we  are 
starting  early  in  the  spring  while  only  a  little  nectar  is  coming  in,  it  will 
be  necessary  to  feed  sugar  syrup  in  order  to  get  the  best  results. 

The  method  of  feeding  that  I  have  found  very  satisfactory  is  to  take 
a  two-quart  Mason  jar  and  punch  in  the  cap  eight  nail-holes  1-16  inch. 
Fill  it  with  syrup,  equal  parts  of  granulated  sugar  and  water.  Many  rec- 
ommend a  weaker  syi'up,  but  with  me  the  heavier  syrup  gives  best  results. 
There  is  no  loss  as  the  bees  store  in  the  combs  all  that  they  do  not  need.  A 
bee-escape  board  is  used  for  a  hive  cover,  and  the  Mason  jar  is  inverted 
over  this  hole.  An  empty  hive  body  is  set  on,  and  a  regular  hive  cover  is 
placed  on  top  of  all.  By  this  method  of  feeding  there  is  no  robbing,  and 
the  bees  take  the  syrup  night  and  day  even  if  the  weather  is  quite  cojd, 
which  they  will  not  do  when  this  style  of  feeder  is  used  at  the  entrance. 
However-,  our  regular  bottom-board  feeder,  as  described  later,  has  so  many 
advantages  over  any  other  that  I  am  now  using  it  for  all  purposes. 

As  the  swarm-box  colonies  as  well  as  the  finishing  colonies  are  very 
strong,  it  is  an  advantage  to  slide  the  hive  forward  on  the  bottom-board, 
thereby  affording  better  ventilation.     This  also  provides  an  opening  into 


By   tl 


ni.ahod  of  feeding  tli 
?7 


lO   robbiiiiJ. 


'ii-:iri\(.  i:i-:i:s  i\  (oxurnnx  i-oi;  (  H/j.-iii/LDixa-cinip.  viii. 


wli  it'll  tlie  synip  is 
poured.  INIany  advo- 
cate iiiving-  them  a 
very  little  thin  syrup 
from  an  entrance 
feeder,  using  about  a 
pint  a  day.  This  will 
answer  very  well  if 
some  nectar  is  coming 
in;  but,  when  this  is 
not  the  case,  better  re- 
sults can  be  obtained 
bj'  giving  syrup  in 
abundance.  Two  quarts 
of  syrup,  equal  parts 
sugar  and  water,  jier 
day  will  give  excellent 
results,  f^nough  must 
I  i.  I  ,      '-  .         1     be  given  to  cause  the 

bees  to  build  white 
comb,  and  this  enables  llieiii  to  draw  u;it  liic  cells  to  perfection  as  well  as 
to  secrete  an  abundance  of  royal  jelly.  My  experience  has  been  that  the 
ijees  do  every  bit  as  well  when  the  feed  is  given  them  all  at  once  every  night 
as  they  do  when  they  take  it  through  three  or  four  holes  from  the  INIason 
jar.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  there  is  no  waste  in  giving  them  more 
than  they  use  at  the  time,  for  all  surplus  is  stored  in  the  combs.  The 
colony  that  is  to  furnish  bees  for  the  swarm  box  must  be  very  strong  in 
bees.  If  it  is  not  in  this  condition,  it  must  be  built  up  by  giving  it  frames 
of  emerging  brood  fiom  other  colonies.  If  a  hive  smaller  than  the  ten- 
frame  Jumbo  is  used  it  should  have  a  double  brood-chamber,  and  both 
stories  should  be  full  of  bees  and  brood.  The  hive  should  contain  ten  or 
twelve  pounds  of  bees.  Rearing  good,  vigorous  queens  without  strong 
colonies  and  plenty  of  feed  is  an  impossibility.  The  colony  that  is  to  fur- 
nish bees  for  the  swarm  box  must  be  fed  at  least  three  days  before  the  swarm 
box  is  filled.  It  will  do  little  good  to  feed  theiu  just  before  they  go  into  the 
iiox.  1  do  not  know  why  this  is  true,  but  it  seeuis  to  take  a  few  days  for 
the  bees  to  assimilate  the  food  and  make  it  o\  er  into  royal  jelly.  So  I  use 
the  term,  "fat  bees."  Vou  must  fatten  the  bees  before  they  can  do  good 
work  at  feeding  larvae.  Poor,  hungry  liecs  will  nut  accei)t  cells.  11"  there 
is  a  j)i'etty  good  honey  (low  on,  no  lecditig  will  l)c  rc(|uii'ed. 


CELL-FINISHING  COLONIES. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


Since  wo  lia\o  tlio  swann-hox  colony  in  fine  condition  M'illi  al)undanc(' 
of  bees  ami  siipplicil  willi  Food,  we  will  prepare  tlie  finisliiiiii'  colonies. 
As  we  expect  to  start  three  hais  ot  cells  in  the  swanii  box,  it  will  l)e  neces- 
sary to  ])reiiare  three  colonies  to  linisli  them,  for  one  bar  of  twenty  cells 
is  enongii  for  even  the  strongest  colony.  However,  if  the  finishing-  colo- 
nies are  sufficiently  ]iopulous,  they  will  do  exactly  as  good  woi'k  at  finish- 
ing twenty  as  can  be  done  by  a  colony  ])reparing  to  swarm,  in  building 
cells  in  their  own  natui-al  way.  The  method  of  i)re])aring  the  linishing 
colonies  is  similar  to  jireiiaring  the  ^w -nni  liox  colony.     They  must   also 

be  kejjt  running  ovei' 
with  liees.  At  the  be- 
ginning of  the  season 
when  the  colonies 
have  not  had.  time  to 
build  up  to  maxiiuuiii 
strength,  a  1  a  r  g  e 
amount  of  brood  is 
required  to  i)ut  theui 
in  condition  to  do  the 
best  work.  All  emp- 
ty c  0  m  b  s  in  the 
brood-nest  should  be 
reuioved  and  replac- 
ed with  bi'ood  froui 
other  colonies. 

They  ni  u  s  t  be 
iiinde  a  two-story 
(•(ijony.  Tlu'  second 
story  must  be  added 
with  a  queen-exclud- 
er between  the  two 
hive  bodies.  If  the 
colony  is  of  sullicient 
strength  to  care  for 
nine  frames  of  brood, 
the  frames  are  placed 
in  the  ui>per  story 
after  shalcing  off  all 
the  bees.  If  the  lin- 
ishing colony  is  not 
sli'ong  e  n  o  u  g-b  to 
take  care  of  the  extra 


CELL-FINISHING  COLONIES.— Chapter  IX. 

frames  of  brood,  it  is  best  to  give  it  the  nine  frames  of  brood  with  ad- 
hering bees.  There  is  some  <huiger  of  these  strange  bees  killing  ihe  queen 
below,  and,  in  order  to  prevent  this,  place  a  newspaper  between  the  two 
bodies  on  top  of  the  queen-excluder  and  let  them  unite  the  same  as  when 
two  colonies  are  united.  In  tliis  ease  j'^ou  have  the  advantage  of  both  brood 
and  bees.  In  two  weeks  most  of  the  brood  will  have  emerged,  and  the  combs 
will  be  filled  with  sugar  syrup  or  honey.  Remove  these  and  put  in  some 
more  brood.  Do  not  wait  until  you  notice  that  the  cells  are  not  being 
finished  as  they  should  be,  for,  if  you  do,  a  lot  of  inferior  queens  will 
result. 

These  combs  of  honey  with  a  little  capped  brood  are  excellent  for  giv- 
ing to  colonies  that  are  short  of  stores,  or  they  can  be  given  to  nuclei.  Al- 
ways keep  unsealed  bi'ood  on  each  side  of  the  frame  containing  cells,  in 
order  to  draw  the  nurse  bees  to  them.  No  matter  how  strong  the  finishing 
colony  may  be,  it  will  do  poor  work  at  cell-finishing  unless  there  is  un- 
sealed brood  in  the  upper  story. 

We  must  bear  in  mind  that,  when  feeding  is  necessary,  it  must  be  done 
several  days  before  the  bees  are  to  build  cells — two  days  at  the  shortest  and 
three  days  ai-e  better,  the  same  as  with  the  colony  that  is  to  furnish  bees  for 
the  swarm  box.  If  fed  three  days  before  going  into  the  swarm  box,  they 
will  be  in  splendid  condition  to  feed  the  larvae  and  to  draw  out  the  cells 
in  the  proper  shape. 

The  very  best  of  cells  may  be  built  any  time  of  the  year  after  brood- 
rearing  is  well  under  way  in  the  spring  until  it  stops  in  the  fall.  In  order 
to  have  good  cells  built  out  of  season,  it  is  necessary  to  put  the  colony 
that  is  to  supply  bees  for  the  swarm  box  and  the  finishing  colony  in  the 
proper  condition.  We  should  remembei-  it  is  the  condition  of  tliese  colonies 
that  brings  results,  and  not  the  time  of  year,  the  honey  flow  or  swarming 
fever.  Therefore,  if  we  build  up  the  colonies  with  brood  taken  from  other 
colonies  and  feed  these  built-up  colonies,  we  have  as  good  conditions  for 


HfHIIIMIflffHIff 


^>^ 


HHlflHIMMlHI 


ifr  St^ptpinluT  cells. 


CELL-FISISUISG  COLONIES— Chapter  IX. 

cell-buildiug  as  we  have  with  a  strong  colony  during-  a  honey  flow.  Tt  is 
evident  that  to  buiUl  up  colonies  to  cell-building-  condition  in  early  spring  or 
late  fall  is  expensive,  as  it  will  rob  a  number  of  colonies  of  their  brood; 
but,  if  queens  are  needed  at  such  times,  it  can  be  done  with  profit.  The 
illustration  shows  some  bars  of  cells  built  in  late  September  after  the 
flowers  have  all  gone.  But  few  of  the  virgins  that  emerged  from  these 
cells  ever  became  laying-  queens,  for  the  weather  turned  cold  and  they  could 
not  venture  out  on  their  honeymoon. 

One  should  bear  in  mind  that  it  is  the  best  queens  that  make  the  records 
at  honey  getting,  so  it  pays  big  dividends  to  be  extravagant  with  brood  and 
feed.  If  all  cells  have  dried-down  royal  jelly  in  them  after  the  queen 
emerges,  you  have  done  all  that  can  be  done  in  the  way  of  providing  bees 
and  feed  to  the  cell-building  colony.  If  some  cells  have  no  jelly  in  them, 
you  are  not  rearing  the  best  of  queens.  True,  some  may  be  fii'st  class  for 
they  may  have  had  enough  after  consuming  it  all,  but  there  are  sure  to  be 
some  that  do  not  have  enough  and  dwarf  queens  will  result. 

How  manj-  cells  can  a  colony  finish?  During  the  summer  of  1923 
some  experiments  were  made  at  our  yard  to  determine  the  number  of  cells 
a  colony  should  finish.  In  stating-  the  number  in  this  book,  we  wish  to 
st-and  on  firm  ground  and  not  advocate  anything  that  might  bring  poor  re- 
sults to  the  beginner.  If  our  experiments  prove  conclusive,  we  shall  give 
them  to  the  public  later :  but  at  this  writing  I  believe  that,  when  the  colony 
that  is  to  st-art  or  finish  the  cells  is  in  perfect  condition,  it  will  build  a  large 
number  of  cells,  and  when  not  in  good  condition,  it  will  not  do  good  work 
on  one  cell.  This  is  somewhat  similar  to  the  perplexing  problem  of  "over- 
stocking." When  the  honey  plants  are  in  good  condition,  overstocking  is 
almost  impossible:  but,  when  the  plants  are  not  in  proper  condition,  a  single 
colony  can  not  make  a  surplus. 


FILLING  THE  SWARM  BOX. 

CHAPTER  X. 


Two  coinhs  coiitjiiiiiii^'  some  linnoy  .-md  |>(illen  are  placed  in  tlie  swarm 
box.  Tliese  slioiild  he  old  ooinl)s  and  not  too  licavy,  toi",  in  tlie  liandliuti 
they  are  to  receive,  tliey  will  he  liable  to  break  down  if  new  or  iL'  they 
contain  much  honey.  These  combs  are  placed  one  at  each  side  of  the  box 
and  are  held  in  position  by  the  two  blocks  that  are  to  support  the  cell  bars. 
Jf  one  has  never  used  a  swarm  box,  it  is  well  to  i)lace  it  on  scales  for  a  few 
times  until  able  to  judge  accurately  the  weiiiht  of  the  bees  the  box  con- 
tains. A  funnel,  such  as  is  emjaloyed  in  filling-  pound  packages,  is  use^l  for 
putting  the  bees  into  the  box. 

Wiiile  good  results  can  be  had  Avith  no  pollen  in  the  swarm  box,  better 
results  are  obtained  by  having  plenty  of  it  in  the  two  combs  that  are  used. 
It  is  surjjrising  to  note  the  amount  that  the  bees  will  consimie  while  con- 
fined in  the  swanu  box.  If  the  two  combs  have  an  abundance,  it  will  usu- 
ally be  eaten  after  the  combs  have  been  used  three  times.  Before  filling  tjie 
box  with  bees  examine  the  combs,  and,  if  they  do  not  contain  sufficient  pol- 
len, they  should  ])e  remoxed  and  other  frames  containing  plenty  put  in  their 
l^lace. 

Set  the  swarm  box  in  front  of  the  colony  from  which  the  bees  are  to 
be  taken,  put  the  funnel  into  the  hole  and  all  is  ready  for  the  bees.  It  is 
quite  desirable,  ujion  all  occasions  when  removing  frames  from  the  hive,  to 
see  that  they  are^^ut  back  in  the  same  position  as  found.  If  not,  queen- 
cells  are  apt  to  be  started,  and,  when  the  virgin  emerges,  she  will  kill  the 
laying  queen.  This  subject  will  be  discussed  more  fully  under  "Introducing 
Queens."  A  good  method  is  to  take  out  the  frame  nearest  you  and  set  it 
several  feet  away  from  the  entrance.  Then  examine  the  next  frame  to 
find  the  queen.  I  f  she  is  not  on  that  frame,  set  it  back,  lift  out  the  next  and 
then  the  next  until  the  queen  is  found.  Pick  her  u\)  by  the  wings  and  put  her 
on  the  frame  that  you  first  took  out.  Set  all  frames  hack  in  their  regular 
[ilaee  except  the  one  that  has  the  queen. 

The  reason  we  set  the  first  frame  with  the  queen  some  distance  away 
is  to  prevent  the  bees  and  queen  from  crawling  back  into  the  hive,  thus 
getting  the  queen  into  the  swarm  box. 

Nothing  that  I  can  call  to  mind  creates  siu-li  a  stioug  desiie  to  kick 
one's  self  as  to  get  the  queen  into  the  swarm  box.  1  loiow  from  expei'i- 
ence.  While  you  are  working  with  the  bees,  they  begin  to  fan  and  tlie  first 
thing  you  know  all  the  bees,  including  the  queen,  begin  a  grand  march  for 
the  entrance  or  go  o\er  the  top  and  into  the  hive.  You  do  not  know  that 
the  queen  is  there,  and  your  grafting  comes  to  naugiit.  Instead  of  accejited 
cells  you  find  them  mostly  torn  out  by  the  roots  and  made  over  into  some 
fine  worker  comb  containing  eggs.  In  order  to  avoid  this  calamity,  set  the 
t  rame  with  the  queen  so  far  away  that  the  bees  will  not  heed  the  call  of 
their  companions, 

32 


FllJjyC    rilF.   .sir. I //.I/    l!<>\.      Cha,,hr   X. 


We  are  now  ready  to  put  m  the  bees.  Take  out  the  lirst  frame  cov- 
ered with  bees,  put  one  end  of  it  down  into  the  funnel,  take  hold  of  the 
other  and  with  both  hands  jrive  it  a  quir-k  shake  downward,  then  ui)ward. 
Two  little  shakes,  in  whii-li  the  condj  is  not  moved  more  than  two  or  three 
inches,  Avill  dislodge  all  of  the  bees  except  those  that  have  their  heads  down 
in  the  cells.  Set  this  frame  back  into  the  \uve  and  do  the  same  with  the 
others  until  the  desired  nuuiber  of  bees  are  in  the  box.  From  five  to  seven 
pounds  is  the  right  amount.  Try  to  get  six  pounds  as  nearly  as  possible. 
With  a  little  practice  you  will  not  vary  more  than  a  pound  either  way. 
There  should  still  remain  in  the  hive  a  sufficient  number  of  bees  to  care 
for  the  brood.  When  the  box  has  the  required  amount  of  bees  in  it,  re- 
move the  funnel,  place  the  cap  of  a  Mason  jar  in  the  hole,  replace  the  comb 
containing  the  queen,  close  the  hive,  and  cairy  the  box  to  the  basement. 

Caution.  When  a  heavy  honey  flow  is  on.  take  care  that  the  bees  are 
not  daubed  with  honey  when  they  are  shaken  into  the  swarm  box,  for  if 
they  are  tliey  will  suffocate  and  both  bees  and  cells  will  be  lost.  True,  if 
a  little  lioney  is  smeared 'on  them  it  does  no  harm;  but  too  much  is  disas- 


FTLLIXG  THE  SWATIM  BOX.— Chapter  X 

troiis.  When  a  lieavv  honey  flow  is  on,  slmke  the  comb  lightly  so  no  nectar 
is  displaced,  and,  if  sufficient  bees  are  not  obtained  in  this  manner,  the  bees 
not  shaken  off  may  l)e  bruslied  off  witli  a  bee-brush.  When  more  than  five 
pounds  of  bees  are  put  in  the  swarm  box,  it  is  advisable  to  set  the  box  on 
two  by  four  seantlincs  to  afford  more  abundant  ventilation. 

The  Dungeon. 

In  one  corner  of  the  basement  I  have  what  I  call  the  "bee  dungeon." 
This  is  a  room  made  by  stacking  uj")  extracting  sujiers  and  hive  bodies  to 
the  ceiling  to  make  it  dark.  The  opening  tliat  serves  as  a  door  is  made  in 
break-joint  style  so  that  no  light  can  get  in.  It  is  wide  enough  so  that  a 
person  can  walk  in  carrying  a.  swarm  box  in  each  hand,  which  is  anotliev 
advantage  over  a  swinging  door  for  plenty  of  fresh  air  can  enter.  Back  in 
the  dungeon  the  bees  remain  quiet  as  though  it  were  night,  away  from 
noise,  light  and  strong  air  currents,  and  are  as  contented  and  satisfied  as 
though  they  were  in  their  own  hive.  If  no  basement  is  available,  any 
room  in  the  honey-house  where  it  is  not  too  hot  or  cold  will  do;  but  it 
Avill  pay  to  make  a  basement.  It  is  the  ideal  place.  I  usually  fill  the  box 
at  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  and  leave  the  bees  confined  there  in  the 
basement  until  three  o'clock.  I  find  that  two  hours  of  confinement  is  all 
that  is  necessary,  for,  as  the  bees  are  queenless,  broodless  and  on  strange 
combs,  they  realize  their  queenlessness  to  the  fullest  extent  in  that  length 
of  time. 

Why  the  Bees  Accept  the  Cells. 

Now,  while  the  bees  are  contentedly  clustering  to  the  lid  of  the  swarm 
box,  licking  the  honey  off  any  luckless  individual  that  was  daubed  up  when 


Are  as  coi'itenlcd  and  satisfied  as   lliougli   in   llieir  own  hi 


FITJjISa  rilK  SWAUM  JlOX.^Chapler  X. 

they  wei-e  shaken  from  tlie  combs,  let  us  consider  the  condition  brought 
about  with  tlie  bees  tbat  causes  them  to  do  L;ood  work  at  cell-accepting.  For 
some  days  previous,  the  younii  nurse  bees  ha\e  been  leedin.L;'  .qi'eat  hoards 
of  larval  food,  which  is  the  same  as  the  food  we  call  royal  jelly.  We  have 
suddenly  taken  them  away  from  these  larvae,  so  they  continue  to  secrete 
the  royal  jelly  liut  have  no  larvae  to  feed.  They  also  realize  their  queen- 
lessness.  Tiiey  are  crying'  for  a  queen;  they  have  the  food  with  which  to 
raise  many  queens,  but  they  have  no  larvae  with  which  to  do  it.  It  is  our 
pi'ivilege  to  accouuiuxUite  them  in  this  respect,  so  now  we  will  proceed. 


gi-apevine   cii)iar\ 


GRAFTING   THE    CELL    CUPS. 


CITAPTKR  XI. 


The  best  place  lo  do  the  uia  I't  in.:  i>  in  tlie  honey-house  or  the  room 
of  a  (Iwellinii  \\  here  thei'e  is  ph'iilA  ol'  liiihl  (-oiiiing'  through  a  south  window. 
A  room  is  better  than  out  of  (k)i)rs  for  several  reasons.  It  is  cool,  and  the 
larvae  may  be  kept  away  From  stron,i>'  lisht,  heat  and  drying-  winds.  It  is 
more  comfortable  for  the  operator,  and  lie  is  away  from  robljei'  bees.  The 
araftins  outfit  is  quite  simple — a  ui'aftinL:  nccMJlc  that   can  be  bouL:ht   I'rotn 


dealers  in  bee  supplies,  a  jelly  spoon  made  out  of  a  loothhiush  handle. 
a  little  jar  of  royal  jelly  and  a  small  individual  salt  dish  in  which  to  mix 
tlie  jelly.  With  the  Jelly  spoon.  |dacc  some  of  the  loyal  .jelly  in  the  salt 
dish  and  dilute  it  with  pure  w.-itci-.  It  should  he  as  nearly  as  ])ossible  like 
the  thin  larval  food  seen  in  the  bottom  of  the  w oi-ker-cell  soon  after  the 
egii'  has  hatcheil.  \\'hen  this  is  done,  uo  to  the  lii\e  containing'  your  best 
breeding-  queen  and  take  out  a  fiame  \\  ith  as  many  youiiL:  larvae  of  ]>roper 
age  as  possible. 

When  no  nectar  is  coming  in,  this  (olony  should  have  been  fed  the  same 
as  the  cell-finishing-  colonies  alread.\-  desciihcd -.  but.  if  even  a  very  little 
nectar  is  coming  in,  no  feeding  will  ])o  lu'cessary.  'fhe  best  results  cannot 
•y  lar\a('.  If  they  lie  in  the  bottom  of  the 
d  food  ai'ound  them,  they  ai"e  not  fit  to  be 
Itc  acce|)ted  by  the  bees  so  readily  nor 
ued.  Stunting  the  larva  at  the  begin- 
ning of  its  develoinnent  can  not  be  overcome  at  a  later  period,  no  matter 
how  ideal  the  conditions  may  be.  If  the  larvae  are  floating  in  royal  jelly, 
they  ai-e  in  perfect  condition    for  graftiiii;-.      If  they  are  not,  it  indicates 


be  obtained  by  grafting-  hui 
worker-cells,  dry  with  no  lar\al 
used  for  grafting.  They  will  n 
can  so  good,  strong  ijueens  he 


GEAFTfXG  THE  CELL  CUPS.— Chapter  XT. 


that  the  colony  needs  feeding.  Should  the  colony  not  have  a  sufficient  num- 
ber of  larvae  of  the  right  size,  it  is  a  good  ])ractiee  to  insert  occasionally 
an  empty  comb  in  the  center  of  the  l)rood-nest  in  wliich  the  queen  may  lay. 
If  possible  a  black  comb  should  be  selected  since  the  larva  can  be  seen  much 
better  than  in  a  new  white  one.  Use  a  brush  to  remove  the  bees  from  the 
comb  for,  if  the  comb  is  shaken,  the  nectar  will  be  scattered  over  the  larvae, 
in  which  case  they  are  not  accei)ted  so  readily. 

Carry  the  comb  into  the  grafting  room.  Now  take  tliree  l)ars  of  cells 
that  were  dipped  during  the  winter.  Be  sure  that  the  cells  are  perfectly 
clean.  If  they  contain  any  dust  or  dirt  they  must  be  thoroughly  washed 
and  dried  before  being  used,  as  the  bees  will  not  accept  dirty  or  dusty 
cells.  With  the  large  end  of  the  grafting  needle  place  a  little  diluted  royal 
jelly  into  each  of  the  sixty  cells.  A  drop  about  twice  the  size  of  a  pin- 
head  is  sufficient.  Endeavor  to  get  this  in  a  neat  round  ball  right  in  the 
bottom  of  the  queen-cell,  for  the  bees  accept  them  nuich  better  when  it  is 
placed  in  this  mannei'.  Keep  the  cells  and  the  comb  out  of  the  briglit 
sunlight  as  much  as  possible.  When  the  Aveather  was  hot  and  dry,  I  for- 
merly sprinkled  water  on  the  floor  to  keep  the  air  moist  that  the  jelly  and 
larvae  might  not  dry  out  and  die.  One  day  as  I  v;as  doing  this  the  Office 
Force  was  looking  on  in  that  inquisitive  manner  common  to  the  gentler  sex, 
and  she  said,  '"What  is  the  use  of  dampening  uj)  the  whole  room  when  you 
merely  want  to  keeji  those  cells  moist?  Why  don't  you  dip  a  bath  towel 
into  some  water,  wring  it  out  and  spread  it  o\er  the  cells'?  "Yes,  why 
didn't  I?  For  the  very  good  reason  that  1  never  thought  of  it.  Thanks 
for  the  bright  idea."  I  tried  it.  Jl  works  to  perfection,  so  I  have  used  it 
ever  since.     A  moistened  towel  kee|)s  the  cf-lls  fi'om  drying  out  and  protects 

the  larvae  from  light 

and  dust. 

Now  sit  down  in  a 
cliair  with  your  back 
to  the  window  so  that 
the  light  will  come 
oxer  the  right  shoul- 
der. Place  one  of  the 
cell  bars  on  the  side  of 
the  to])-bar  of  tlie 
liroud-fiaiiie  and  par- 
allel witli  it,  holding  it 
there  with  the  thumb 
of  the  left  hand.  With 
the  grafting  needle  in 
the  light  hand  careful- 
ly slide  the  point  un- 
<hT  tlie  larva,  choosing 
oiw  that  is  about 
t\\  elve  hours  old.   Lar- 


lloiauis'  il  tliei 


37 


Aae    that 

are    twelve 

IK.UIS  old 

are  extreme- 

ly    small, 

and,    unless 

the     one 

doing     the 

GRAFTING  THE  CELL  CUPS:— Chapter  XI. 


Slide   the  point  under   the 


grafting  has  very  good  eyes,  ho 
will  be  unable  to  see  them  clear- 
ly enough  to  do  satisfactory 
work.  A  fine  rule  is  to  use  lar- 
vae as  small  as  can  be  seen; 
but,  if  the  operator  has  excep- 
tionally good  vision,  there  is 
danger  of  getting  them  too 
small,  for  larvae  less  than 
twelve  hours  old  are  not  ac- 
cepted so  readily  as  those  older. 
I  never  have  been  able  to  deter- 
mine whether  it  is  due  to  the 
fact  that  these  small  larvae  can 
not  stand  the  handling  or 
whether  for  some  reason  the 
bees  do  not  like  them  so  well. 
On  the  other  hand,  larvae  much 
more  than  twelve  hours  old 
should  not  be  used,  for,  while 
tliey  Avill  be  accepted,  they  often 
do  not  make  such  good  queens 
as  the  younger  ones.  True,  they  have  not  yet  received  any  food  except 
royal  .ielly;  but,  from  exjieriments  I  have  made,  I  am  sure  that  the  best  of 
queens  can  not  generally  be  produced  if  older  larvae  are  used.  I  believe  it 
is  due  to  the  fact  that,  as  the  larva  is  grafted  at  an  advanced  age,  the  nurse 
bees  do  not  have  the  same  length  of  time  to  store  royal  jelly  in  the  queen-cell 
as  in  the  case  of  younger  larvae,  therefore  the  larva  does  not  have  suf- 
ficient food  for  its  fullest  development. 

There  is  finite  a  knack  in  getting  the  larva  on  the 
grafting  needle  in  just  the  right  position.  If  it  is  entirely  on 
the  needle,  difliculty  may  be  experienced  in  getting  it  off. 
The  needle  point  should  be  placed  under  it  in  such  a  way  as 
to  leave  about  one-half  of  the  larva  projecting  over  the 
edge.  When  this  is  done,  it  is  easy  to  remove  the  larva 
from  the  needle.  Put  the  needle  into  the  cell  cup  until  the 
larva  touches  the  drop  of  royal  jelly,  carefully  draw  the 
needle  sidewise  and  the  larva  will  remain  in  the  jelly.  At 
first  this  may  be  a  slow  operation,  but  in  a  short  time  you 
graft  the  three  bars  in  ten  minutes  or  less.  As  soon  as  one  bar  is  finished, 
place  it  back  under  tlie  dampened  towel.  When  all  three  are  finished,  they 
are  ready  to  I)e  ]ilaced  in  the  swarm  box. 
Take  them  to  the  basement  and  bring  the 
swarm  box  out  of  the  dungeon  to  the  fi-oul 
where  the  light  is  belter,  i'lit  the  tbicc 
cell-bars  tightly  together  so  they  may  lie 
grasped  with  the  right  iiand  all  at  once. 
Lay   them   down   with    the   cells   upward. 

-hiilf   of   the    larva   project-     -wy  '         •    i  ii  i          i       j.    i  •         i     i  i 

IK  over  the  edge.  ^ow  pick  n\)  tlie  swariu  box  by  taking  hold 


Ijiirvae  twelve 
hours  old. 


will  he  able  t( 


Ai 


GRAFTIXG  THE  CELL  CUPS.— Chapter  XL 

of  each  end.  Kaise  it  about  six  inches  from  tlie  concrete  floor  and  Ijrinu  it 
down  with  a  jar.  All  of  the  bees  that  were  hangin.^'  to  the  cover  in  a 
cluster  will  fall  to  the  bottom  in  a  mass.  Now  remove  the  upper  cover, 
take  up  the  cell  bars  and  place  them  in  the  box,  allowing  them  to  rest  on 
the  two  cleats  in  each  end,  and  slide  the  cover  back  in  place.  This  can  be 
done  without  a  single  bee's  getting-  out.  Have  ready  a  quart  Mason  jar, 
with  perforated  lid,  filled  with  sugar  syrup  or  honey,  diluted  witli  about 
one-fourth  water,  which  is  a  much  better  feed  for  the  swarm  box.  Some- 
times the  bees  will  not  take  the  syrup,  but  they  will  take  honey.  I  do  not 
put  the  feeder  on  when  I  first  set  them  in  the  basement,  for  they  will  not 
take  the  syrup  or  honey  until  they  have  been  in  there  se\eral  hours,  long 
enough  to  get  the  spilled  honey  all  cleaned  up,  but  feed  them  immediately 
after  grafted  cells  are  given  them.  Set  the  swarm  box  back  into  tlie  dun- 
geon, and  the  bees  will  do  the  rest. 

Digression. 

We  have  now  passed  over  the  most  difficult  part  of  queen-rearing,  that 
of  getting  the  cells  properly  accei^ted.  Many  have  failed  at  queen-rearing 
because  they  could  not  get  cells  accepted  with  any  degree  of  certainty.  The 
question  is  frequentlj^  asked,  "Why  use  the  swarm  box?  Why  not  give 
the  cells  immediately  to  a  colony?"  The  answer  is,  "Because  the  bees  will 
not  accept  the  cells."  The  condition  brought  about,  as  has  just  been  de- 
scribed, enables  the  nurse  bees  to  feed  the  larvae  and  draw  out  the  cells  in 
the  best  manner  possible.  Bees  have  many  peculiar  traits.  One  of  them  is 
that  they  will  mechanically  go  ahead  with  a  job  that  has  been  started.  Tt 
is  not  difficult  to  get  cells  finished  when  they  are  once  started.  The  difficulty 
is  in  the  starting.  So  now,  as  we  have  brought  about  a  condition  by  which 
the  bees  will  start  cells,  it  is  a  simple  matter  to  get  other  colonies  to  go 
ahead  with  the  job  and  rusli  it  to  completion;  while,  if  we  had  given  those 
same  colonies  these  cells  to  start,  they  would  have  had  none  of  it. 

Reasons  of  Success. 

Let  me  enuiucrate  again  tlie  reasons  wliy  bees  accept  cells. 

1.  Liberal  feeding  of  tlie  colony  that  furnishes  bees  to  stock  the 
swai'm  box.  Kemember,  unless  a  honey  flow  is  on,  they  must  be  fed  gen- 
erously at  least  three  (lays  before  being  placed  in  the  swarm  box, 

2.  A  sufficient  number  of  bees  in  the  swarm  box.  There  should  be  at 
least  five  pounds. 

3.  A  large  number  of  nurse  bees,  young  bees.  Remember  that  old  bees 
are  poor  nurses  and  will  fail  in  accepting  cells. 

4.  Well-fed,  moist  larvae  in  the  colony  which  has  the  breeding  queen. 
.").     Clean  cells,  made  oP  wax  that  has  not  been  scorched  in  melting,  are 

most  essential. 

6.  Cells  miisl  be  Ihc  light  size.  Tliosc  that  aic  too  large  will  not 
be  accepted. 

7.  Be  careful  to  keeji  the  royal  jelly  at  the  right  consistency.  Royal 
jell}'  too  thick  or  too  thin  will  cause  failure  in  whole  or  part. 


GL'AFTIXG  Till-:  CELL  CUPS.—CI,ai>ler  XL 

8.  Grafting  larvae  that  are  the  right  size  and  age. 

9.  Be  careful  tliat  the  larvae  have  not  been  overheated  <>r  drinl  liy 
the  sun's  rays.    If  they  are,  the  bees  will  always  reject  theni. 

10.  Keep  till'  larvae  from  chilling. 

11.  Careful  handling  while  grafting  so  as  not  lo  injure  or  kill  tiie 
larvae. 

12.  Be  sure  the  swarm  box  is  ke))t  in  a  place  that  is  neithei-  too  hot 
nor  too  cold. 


EMPTYING  THE  SWARM  BOX. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


The  bees  should  remain  in  the  «Avarni  box  until  three  or  four  o'clock 
of  the  clay  following.  If  taken  out  earlier  the  cells  are  not  suHiciently 
advanced  to  insure  their  completion  by  the  finishing  colony.  Jf  left  in  too 
long,  the  nurse  bees  seem  to  exhaust  their  supply  of  royal  jelly  and  the 
larvae  are  not  sufficiently  fed.  The}'  can  be  taken  out  at  any  time  before 
the  night  of  the  following  day;  but,  as  a  general  thing,  the  cells  suffer  if 
left  in  over  night  of  the  second  day.  From  twenty-four  to  thirty  hours  is 
the  proper  length  of  time  for  the  bees  to  be  confined.  Carry  the  box  out 
to  the  hive  from  which  the  bees  were  taken,  remove  the  upper  cover  and 
lift  out  the  bars.  If  the  work  has  been  properly  done  nearly  all  of  the 
cells  should  be  accepted.  One  should  average  an  acceptance  of  eighteen 
cells  out  of  twenty  and  frequently  all  should  be  accepted.  When  the  bars 
are  taken  out  the  larvae  should  have  an  abundance  of  royal  jelly  literally 
swimming  in  it,  and  the  cells  be  drawn  out  into  proper  shape.  If  condi- 
tions are  rigid  all  sixty  are  accepted. 


(I    lift    out 
41 


KMI'TYIXlr   THE  SWAItM  BOX.—Chapter  XTT. 


pepted. 


Give  the  bar  a  very  light  shake  to  remove  most  of  the  bees  that  are 
clustered  on  it  and  then  carefully  brush  off  the  remainder.  Do  not  shake 
the  bar  too  severely  or  some  of  the  larvae  will  be  displaced,  in  which  ease 
they  will  be  removed  from  the  cells  by  the  finishing-  colonies. 

Foi:  suspending  the  cell  bars  in  the  finishing  colonies,  there  is  nothing- 
better  than  a  regular  cell-bar  holder  made  to  hold  three  bars.  Place  one 
bar  in  the  bottom  section,  spread  the  brood-frames  apart,  put  in  the  bolder 
frame,  and  give  it  to  one  of  the  finishing  colonies.  The  best  results  are 
secured  by  placing  frames  of  unsealed  brood  on  both  sides  of  the  frame  that 
holds  the  cells,  for  this  draws  the  nurse  bees  right  to  the  cells  and  they 
immediately  talke  hold  of  the  cells  and  carry  the  work  on  to  successful 
completion.  Eeplace  the  cover  and  see  that  the  feeder  is  kept  liberally  sup- 
plied with  feed  so  that  the  bees  will  receive  an  ample  supply.  Take  the  other 
two  bars  and  give  them  to  the  other  two  finishing  colonies.  Go  back  to  the 
swai-m  box,  take  off  the  lower  cover,  remove  the  combs  and  shake  off  all  the 
bees  possible  and  brush  off  the  remainder.  Pick  up  the  swaini  box,  invert  it 
and  give  it  a  ra]:»  on  the  ground  to  dislodge  all  the  bees.  Replace  the  combs, 
put  on  the  covers  and  take  it  back  to  the  l)asemcnt  to  remain  till  needed 


THE  PRITCHARD  FORCED  CELL-STARTING  COLONY. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


Wliile  I  myself  luiu-li  prefer  the  swarm  box  for  securiiiii-  cells,  there 
are  others,  like  my  friend  Pritchard  of  The  A.  I.  Root  Company,  who  pre- 
fer to  use  queenless  and  broodless  colonies  for  cell-starting.  Instead  of 
going  to  a  colony  and  sliaking  bees  into  the  swarm  box,  as  already  described, 
Mr.  Pritchard  prefers  to  reverse  the  process  by  leaving  the  bees  in  the  hive, 
removing  all  the  brood  with  the  queen,  and  placing  them  temporarily  on 
another  hive.     He  proceeds  as  follows : 

All  the  combs,  including  the  bees,  brood  and  queen,  of  a  medium  colony 
(not  a  strong  one)  are  removed  from  the  hive.  Two  combs  of  pollen  and 
honey  are  selected  and  set  back  in  the  hive,  one  on  each  side,  taking  care 
not  to  get  the  queen.  Two  frames  for  holding  cell  bars  (without  the  cell 
bars)  are  then  put  in  the  center  of  the  hive.  The  two  combs  of  pollen  and 
honey  are  shoved  over  next  to  them.  On  either  side  is  put  a  thin  division- 
board  feeder  containing  thick  syrup.  The  remaining  space  on  each  side  is 
then  filled  out  with  dummies  or  division-boards.  The  two  cell-bar  frames 
are  now  removed,  and  all  the  other  combs  of  brood  and  bees  are  shaken  into 
the  space  vacated,  taking  care  not  to  get  the  queen.  The  brood  and  the 
queen  are  now  put  in  the  ujiper  story  of  a  strong  colony,  over  a  f|neen- 
excluder.    It  is  necessarj-  to  cage  the  queen. 

In  from  half  an  hour  to  one  hour's  time,  or  as  soon  as  the  bees  in  the 
made-up  colony  set  up  a  roar  of  distress  when  they  have  discovered  their 
loss  of  queen  and  brood,  the  two  cell-bar  frames  are  supjilied  with  prepared 
cells,  and  are  then  jiut  in  the  open  space  left,  where  the  bees  are  crj-ing  for 
a  queen.  The  queenless  and  broodless  bees,  supplied  with  an  enormous 
amount  of  pap  which  they  expected  to  use  in  feeding  their  young  larvae 
but  which  has  been  all  removed,  immediately  accept  and  supply  the  pre- 
I)ared  cells  with  pap.  The  two  feeders  containing  thick  syrup  and  two 
combs  containing  honey  and  pollen  will  give  the  bees  all  that  is  necessary 
to  supply  them  with  material  for  making  more  pap. 

The  prepai-ed  cells  will  usually  be  accepted  and  lavishly  supplied 
with  pap  in  about  24  hours.  It  is  not  advisable  to  remove  them  before. 
When  nicely  started  the  cells  are  put  in  cell-finishing  colonies  as  previously 
explained.    The  removed  brood  and  the  queen  are  restored  to  the  colonj'. 

While  it  might  and  could  make  a  second  batch  of  cells,  ^Ir.  Pritchard 
does  not  advi.se  it. 

Mr.  Pritchard  says  he  ]>refers  this  method  of  getting  cells  started,  be- 
cause it  saves  the  extra  ef|uipment  of  swajrm  boxes,  toting  them  back  and 
forth  from  the  cellar,  and  because  the  bees  during  the  time  that  they  aro 
starting  cells  are  not  confined.  He  thinks  this  is  very  important.  The  un- 
confined  bees,  he  thinks,  will  do  more  and  better  work.     By  the  plan  de- 

43 


I'lirmiAin)  FOUCKI)  CKLL-STARTiyCi  COLOXT.— Chapter  XIII. 

scribed,  he  says  he  ciui  yet  200  cells  staited,  each  cell  literally  jiorged  with 
a  big  supply  of  ])ap.  These  cells,  when  jiiven  to  cell-tinishing  colonies, 
will  be  conii)lete(l  in  the  regulation  time,  and  every  cell  will  be  perfect. 

The  fundamentiil  difference  between  the  forced  cell-starting  colony  and 
the  portable  swarm  box  is  that  Mr.  Pritchard  moves  the  brood  and  the 
queen,  whiJe  I  move  the  bees.  He  thinks  that  the  unconfined  bees  do  bet- 
ter work.  I  am  not  so  sure  of  that.  I  succeed  better  Avitli  bees  that  are 
confined  in  a  cool  place.  Mr.  Pi'itchard  will  doul)tless  continue  his  way, 
and  doubtless  I  will  go  on  with  the  way  that  has  niven  me  the  results  I 
have  secured. 

It  will  be  noted  that  the  Prit^'hard  i)lan  of  making  up  a  cell-starting 
colony  amounts  virtually  to  a  swarm  box  left  on  the  old  location.  Fuhda- 
mentally  the  principle  is  exactly  the  same,  but  the  ijrocedure  is  different. 

Of  course  it  is  necessary  to  feed  these  iirepared  colonies  the  same  as 
the  bees  in  the  swarm  boxes.     This  is  important. 

A  Modification  of  the  Doolittle  Plan. 


I  have  used  a  modification  of  the  Doolittle  method  witli  the  best  of 
success,  and  it  may  be  preferred  by  many  to  the  swarm  box.  "With  fur- 
ther experimenting  and  practice,  possibly  we  ourselves  may  prefer  it  to 
the  swann  box.  This  method  is  as  follows :  The  colony  for  starting  these 
cells  should  be  one  of  extraordinary  strength,  being  a  two-stoiy  colony. 
Any  standard  hive  will  do,  but  Ave  use  the  Jumbo  hive,  and  in  preparing 
this  Ave  see  that  it  has  tAventy  Jumbo  frames  of  brood.  The  queen-excluder 
is  kept  betAveen  the  upjier  and  the  lower  story.  After  all  of  the  brood  above 
has  been  .sealed,  Ave  remove  the  loAver  story  containing  the  (jueen  and  the 
l)rood  to  a  location  about  ten  feet  distant.  The  upper  story,  containing 
only  frames  of  honey  and  capped  brood,  is  set  on  the  bottom-board  of  the 
stand  from  Avhich  the  hive  containing  the  (|ueen  and  brood  Avas  removed. 
Three  frames  are  taken  out  to  make  room  foi-  three  frames  of  cells,  A\'hich 
are  to  be  ])ut  in  later  on.  The  hive  containing  the  queen  is  noAV  opened, 
and  the  frame  containing  the  queen  is  set  outside.  The  frames  are  then 
lifted  out  and  the  bees  from  eight  or  nine  of  them  shaken  into  the  hive  on 
the  old  stand.  The  queen,  Avith  her  frame  of  brood,  is  then  set  Ijack  into 
the  hive  on  the  ncAv  stand  and  the  cover  replaced.  In  a  short  time,  half  an 
lioui-  oi-  an  hour,  as  soon  as  the  bees  have  cleaned  up  tlie  honey  or  syrup 
liiat  has  been  daubed  on  them,  they  are  ready  to  leceive  the  cells.  Three 
bars  are  grafted,  placed  in  a  frame  to  hold  them  and  i)ut  into  the  starting 
colony.  A  second  and  a  thii-d  are  prepared  in  the  same  AAay,  which  fills  up 
the  space.  In  this  manner  nine  bars  are  started  instead  of  three  as  Avith  the 
sAvarm  box;  though  it  is  not  adAisable  to  start  so  many  unless  the  colony 
is  of  tremendous  strengfh.  After  twenty-four  or  thirty-six  hours  these 
frames  are  removed  and  given  to  the  finishing  colonies,  the  same  as  Avhen 
the  swaiiii.  box  is  use<l.  The  other  brood-nest  continuing  the  queen  and 
binod  is  now  brought  back,  set  underneath  and  all  is  well,  -in  two  days' 
lime  this  cohniy  can  be  useil  to  start  another  batch  of  cells.  We  use  the 
same  colony  over  and  over  for  starting  cells  twice  a  week. 

By  this  the  objec-tion  to  Ihc  original  quecniess,  bioixilcss  iiietliofl  is 
largely  o\crcome.     The  queen  can  continue  laying,  as  enough  bees  are  left 


I'lHrcHAHl)   I'OIK  Kl)  (  i:i.[.-^T.\l!'l  ISa   COTJkW.CIuii,!,,-   Ml/. 

with  her  to  kee\>  n\)  bi-ooil-roarin^-,  and  the  work  is  much  less  than  with 
the  method  whereby  the  queen  has  t-o  be  caged  and  bees  brushed  ott"  from 
the  brood.  In  using-  this,  if  there  is  no  honey  flow  they  must  be  fed  the 
same  as  when  the  swarm  box  is  used.  Some  will  prefer  this  to  the  swarm 
l)ox.  and  some  will  not.  It  has  one  advantage  over  the  swarm  box,  in  that 
if  more  bees  aie  put  in  than  necessarj-,  they  can  cluster  on  the  outside  and 
no  harm  is  done;  while  some  have  reported  bees  being-  suffocated  in  the 
swarm  box.  Another  time-saving-  feature  is  that,  if  this  colony  is  made  tre- 
mendously strong  as  described,  a  larger  number  of  cells  may  be  started. 

To  say  that  a  colony  must  be  strong  does  not  mean  much ;  but,  if  both 
stories  are  kept  full  of  capped  brood  before  being  used,  it  will  build  the 
colony  up  ta  greater  strength ;  and,  if  it  should  run  down,  the  upper  story 
may  again  be  filled  with  brood.  But  this  should  not  be  left  in  this  story 
when  giving-  the  cells  until  the  brood  is  sealed,  for  the  bees  will  not  do  so 
good  work  at  cell-starting  where  they  have  other  brood  to  feed.  Recently 
we  had  a  field  meeting  in  our  apiaiy  in  Yincennes.  Always  willing  to  do 
their  part,  my  bees  decided  it  would  be  a  good  exhibition  if  thej'  would 
swarm:  so  one  of  these  cell-building  colonies  did  so  just  before  the  crowd 
arrived.  I  put  a  piece  of  burlaj)  on  a  saw-horse  and  i)lace<l  the  queen  on 
tx)p,  and  the  swarm  settled  there  where  it  remained  for  two  hours  or  more, 
greatly  admired  by  those  present.  Several  disinterested  jiarties  weighed 
this  swarm  and  found  it  weighed  exactly  twenty-five  pounds.  Tliis  would 
be  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand  bees,  while  seventy-five 
thousand  must  have  still  remained  in  the  hive,  thus  making  the  enormous 
horde  of  two  himdred  thousand  bees!  1  had  estimated  our  st-arting  colo- 
nies and  finishing-  colonies  at  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  each,  but  from 
that  experience  I  believe  my  estimate  was  too  low.  Of  course,  it  is  under- 
stood these  ))ees  were  not  the  product  of  one  queen  as  it  would  be  impossi- 
ble for  one  queen,  no  matter  how  i^rolific,  to  produce  a  swarm  of  that  size; 
but  from  this  we  get  some  idea  of  a  really  strong  colony,  and  for  best  re- 
sults in  raising-  the  finest  cells  in  large  numbers,  a  strong-  colony  as  just 
described  is  very  essential. 

In  the  above  modification  of  the  queenless,  broodless  method  it  will  be 
seen  that  the  brood  and  (lueen  remain  together  and  the  queen  continues  to 
lay  very  similarly  to  the  method  in  which  the  swarm  box  is  used.  The 
cost  of  efiuijiment  of  the  two  methods  is  about  the  same.  One  requires 
the  swarm  boxes  and  funnel  and  the  otber  requires  an  extra  hive.  Per- 
sonal preference  unist  determine  which  is  used ;  both  are  excellent. 

Extensive  experiments  are  lieing  continually  conducted  at  our  yard, 
and  possibly  in  the  future  the  present  plan  of  cell-finishing  al)ove  the  ex- 
cluder will  l)e  abandoned  for  something-  better.  We  have  left  one  hundred 
and  eighty  cells  with  the  queenless,  broodless  colony  that  st.{\rted  them,  until 
they  were  conq)leted  and  some  most  excellent  results  have  been  obt^iined. 
Two  colonies  were  shaken  into  one,  and  both  colonies  moved  to  a  new  loca- 
tion. Further  experiments  will  determine  whether  or  not  this  method  will 
supersede  the  former  with  us.  In  any  of  the  above  methotls,  however,  the 
one  big  feature  is  proper  feeding.  Heavy  feeding  three  or  four  days  before 
Liiving  the  cells  is  a  most  important  feature. 


OUR  DAILY  PROGRAM. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


Many  will  find  it  more  suitable  to  their  sj'stein  of  management  to  graft 
three  or  more  times  a  week.  Some  graft  every  day.  I  graft  Wednesdays 
and  Saturdays.  As  I  am  to  give  my  own  system  first,  I  shall  follow  it 
through.  Let  us  consider  that  we  did  our  first  grafting  on  Saturday.  Be- 
fore time  to  dispose  of  the  cells  we  shall  again  graft  on  Wednesday  and 
Saturday.  To  make  it  clear,  let  us  suppose  the  Saturday  that  we  first 
grafted  was  tlie  5th  of  the  month.  We  must  graft  again  on  Wednesday, 
the  9th,  again  on  Saturday,  the  12th.  When  we  put  in  the  cells  of  Iho 
second  grafting,  some  of  the  cells  of  the  first  will  be  capjDed  over.  The 
bar  containing  these  should  be  moved  up  to  the  middle  and  the  new  one 
placed  on  the  bottom  shelf.  The  bees  do  better  work  when  the  newly  ac- 
cepted cells  are  placed  on  the  bottom  shelf.  By  this  method,  the  bar  of 
of  ripe  cells  is  always  on  top  and  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  remove  the 
frame  to  get  the  bar.  Cells  should  be  removed  and  introduced  to  colonies 
or  nuclei  on  the  10th  day  after  grafting.  So  the  cells  that  were  grafted  on 
the  5th  must  be  introduced  on  the  15th.  This  makes  Saturday  the  busiest 
day  of  the  week  as  we  must  both  introduce  cells  and  graft,  but  the  lightest 
day's  work  comes  on  Sunday  so  we  can  enjoy  a  day  of  rest.  While  we 
try  to  arrange  om-  work  so  there  is  as  little  work  as  possible  on  Sunday, 
there  are  a  few  chores  that  cannot  well  be  n\oided.  Laying  queens  are 
removed  from  the  nuclei  on  Mondays  and  Fridays  so  that  by  following 
this  program  everything  fits  nicely.  All  that  there  is  to  remember  is  the 
following  program : 

Program  for  the  Week. 

Monday:    Remove  laying  queens  from  the  nuclei. 

Tuesday:  Introduce  ripe  cells  to  nuclei. 

Wednesday :  Graft. 

Tliursday :  Empty  the  swarm  boxes. 

Friday:  Remove  laying  queens  from  nuclei. 

Saturday:  Introduce  rij^e  cells  to  nuclei  and  graft. 

Sunday :  Empty  the  swarm  boxes. 

This  program  pi'events  mistakes,  and,  while  no  record  or  memoranda 
are  used,  it  is  almost  automatic  in  its  working. 

In  explaining  this  program  at  this  time  I  am  getting  a  little  ahead  of 
my  story,  but  it  seems  necessary  and  details  will  be  explained  in  due  time. 
One  feature  must  be  watched  carefully.  In  the  finishing  colonies  queen-cells 
will  sometimes  be  started  on  the  frames  of  brood.  If  any  queens  are  allowed 
to  emerge,  havoc  will  be  wrought  with  all  three  bars  of  cells.  It  is  well 
each  time  a  bar  is  placed  in  the  finishing  colony  to  look  the  brood-frames 
over  and  cut  out- any  cells  that  may  have  been  started. 


NUCLEUS  HIVES. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


There  are  many  styles  of  nucleus  hives  in  use,  and  some  have  desir- 
able features  not  found  in  the  others.  The  small  Baby  Nucleus  hive  had  a 
run  for  a  while  Ijut  is  now  generally  considered  a  mere  passing  fad.  It  is 
so  small  that  the  bees  are  put  into  an  unnatural  condition,  and  they  there- 
fore perform  in  an  unnatural  manner.  They  seem  to  delight  in  pulling  o!T 
all  sorts  of  crazy  stunts  such  as  absconding  with  a  laying  queen  or  ab- 
sconding with  a  virgin :  absconding  when  they  run  out  of  food  or  abscond- 
ing when  they  have  plenty.  Another  of  their  favorite  sports  is  balling  their 
queen  when  she  returns  from  her  mating  flight.  I  have  seen  queens  fly  out 
from  their  baby  nucleus  and,  unlike  Lot's  wife,  they  never  looked  behind 
them.  The  queens  reasoned,  ''Why  take  a  look  at  that  little  hive?  I'm  not 
coming  back!"  And  frequently  they  did  not,  but  would  hunt  around  try- 
ing to  find  a  real  colony  that  would  accept  them.  I  used  to  keep  a  number 
of  bars  in  a  single  hive  for  incubation.  These  colonies  seemed  to  be  par- 
ticularly inviting  to  these  truant  queens,  which  were  usually  accepted.  There 
was  henceforth  a  great  tearing  down  of  cells,  and  it  made  me  very  dejected 
to  see  a  double  handful  of  dead  queens  lying  in  front  of  these  hives.  They 
never  worked  this  game,  however,  where  cells  were  finished  above  the  ex- 
cluder. These  baby  nuclei  are  easily  robbed  out,  do  not  gather  enough  to 
live  on  and  do  not  stand  either  hot  or  cold  weather  as  well  as  the  larger 
ones. 

I  have  a  vision  of  one  day  during  a  dearth  of  pasture  in  hot  July  when 
a  baby  nucleus  absconded  and  went  up  into  a  tall  tree  and  clustered.  Was 
it  worth  going  after?  Maybe  they  had  a  laying  queen,  so  I  would  try.  The 
whole  swarm  was  not  much  bigger  than  a  walnut,  shucks  and  all.  At  last, 
after  climbing  till  I  was  completely  tired  out  and  had  almost  reached  them, 
they  took  wing.  While  I  was  watching  them  disappear  into  the  blue  sky  and 
was  in  a  state  of  mind  unnecessary  to  describe,  along  came  a  cheerful 
idiot  who  asked,  "Say,  IMister,  how  much  honey  did  they  make  up  there?" 

Another  objection  to  the  baby  nuclei  is  the  fact  that  it  is  hard  to  tell 
a  good  queen  from  a  poor  one,  for  a  good  queen  lays  several  eggs  in  one 
cell  for  want  of  room,  exactly  like  a  poor  queen.  Baby  nuclei  do  not  con- 
tain sufficient  bees  to  incubate  the  queen-cells  properly,  thereby  resulting  in 
inferior  queens.  Yes,  I  have  in  use  a  hundred  baby  nuclei — as  playthings 
for  the  children  and  for  use  as  bird  boxes.  A  woodpecker  has  appro]iri- 
ated  one  and,  after  pecking  the  entrance  a  little  larger,  crowded  it  full  of 
acorns.    For  once  the  baby  nucleus  has  secured  a  surplus. 

The  Root  twin  mating  nucleus  hive  is  midway  between  the  Baby  and 

the  one  having  the  standard  frame.     In  it  each  compartment  holds  three 

frames,  just  the  size  for  three  to  fit  inside  a  regular  Hoffman  frame.     These 

,  may  be  jylaced  in  a  regular  hive,  and  when  the  frames  are  filled  with  brood 


XflCLKVH  IIIVKS-Chdiiler  XV. 


,i>er  "babies"  uive  some  l)etU'r  r( 
takinji'  a  res'ulai'  brood-fiame  ba 
used  bAr  nearly  all  wlio  vvnv  man 

I  sti'onuly  adx'ise  a  nucleus 
tbat  is  used  in  your  liixes.  Tin 
l)artnient  lai'ue  eiiouiib  In  bold  |v 


Its  llu 


and  boiiey  Ibey  aio  taken  out 
;ind  idaeed  in  tlie  nucleus  Iiive. 
J.  K.  "Winu',  tlie  well-known 
quoen-breeder  of  San  Jose,  Cali- 
fornia, prefers  tbis  bive  to  any 
ntlior.  1  ie  bas  special  bives  )nade 
to  bold  large  numbers  of  tbese 
frames,  for  stocking  tbose  for 
tbe  nucleus  bives.  In  this  way  he 
overcomes  one  objectionable  fea- 
ture, that  of  fitting-  them  into  a 
regular  Hoffman  frame.  Mr. 
Wing's  system  of  management  is 
Taxorable  to  these  small  bives 
for  be  i)iactices  migratory  f|ueen- 
rearing,  moving'  to  locahties 
where  there  is  a  honey  flow.  He 
moves  to  one  district  where  there 
is  a  bea\y  How  from  honeydew. 
It  should  be  reniembei-ed  tbat  tbe 
small  niudous  bives  give  much 
bettei-  results  when  there  is  a 
honey  (low  than  when  there  is  a 
dearth  of  pasture  so  tbat  feed- 
ing becomes  necessarj-.  The  lar- 
11  the  smaller  ones;  but  the  ones 


('  so  many  advantages  tbat  they  are  being 
■  (|ueens. 

i\  e  that  will  take  tbe  regular  brood-frame 
(ine  that  T  use  is  a  twin  bive,  each  com- 
o  .linnbo  frames  and  a  division-board.  Tbe 


)iiil>:irfin(nl   lursc  fiiough  to  liold   two  .Tmnbo   franios 


MCI.I-.IS  lll\  i:s.      Clniplrr  AT. 

entrances  are  at  opposite  corners.  ,V  telescope  cap  is  used  with  cleats  that 
support  it  and  give  the  air  a  chance  to  circulate,  thus  keeping  it  cool  in  hot 
weather.  Usually  onlj'  one  frame  is  used  with  a  thin  division-board  feeder 
to  keep  the  bees  from  l)uilding  comb  in  tlie  vacant  space.  This  gives  tlie 
liees  so  much  room  that  there  is  no  absconding.  It  is  comfortable  in  the 
hottest  weather  and  has  given  perfect  results.  During  a  honey  flow  these 
nuclei  are  strong  enough  to  fill  up  with  honey.  In  fact  in  many  caseSj  I 
have  had  to  give  them  sheets  of  foundation  to  keep  the  bees  from  going 
over  the  feeder  and  building  comb. 

Another  nucleus  hive  among  the  best  is  that  used  by  M.  H.  Mendleson, 
the  veteran  honey  producer  and  queen-breeder  of  Ventura,  California.  This 
is  a'st<indard  hive  body,  divided  into  three  compartments.  There  is  an  en- 
trance at  each  end,  and  one  on  one  side.  While  working  with  this  hive 
Mr.  Mendleson  sits  on  the  blind  side.  In  their  mild  climate  he  is  able  to 
winter  these  nuclei  over  Avith  perfect  success.  There  is  nothing  better  than 
this  style  of  nucleus  hive. 

Entrance  Blocks  for  Nuclei. 

The  entrance  I)lock  may  seem  like  a  trifling  item;  l)ut,  after  expcii- 
menting  Avith  several,  J  feel  that  a  description  of  one  that  has  given  me 
splendid  satisfaction  may  be  worth  while.  If  the  entrance  is  not  very  plain 
and  easy  to  enter,  the  queen  on  her  return  to  the  hive  will  have  difficulty  in 
locating  it  readily.  I  have  witnessed  queens  returning  many  times,  and 
when  I  used  an  inferior  type  of  block,  the  queen,  after  trying  in  vain  to 
find  the  entrance,  would  go  to  another  nucleus  and  try  there. 

The  one  that  has  given  me  perfect  satisfaction  is  made  to  sloi)e  to- 
wards the  entrance  so  that,  if  a  bee  alights  within  a  few  inches  of  it,  the 
block  guides  her  directly  in.  When  the  young  bees  fly  out  for  the  first 
time,  they  have  no  trouble  in  finding  the  entrance  at  once.  Three  nails  are 
driven  through  the  block  from  the  upper  side  so  that  the  points  are 
barely  exposed.  When  it  is  desired  to  confine  the  l)ees,  as  is  necessary  when 
forming  nuclei,  the  block  is  placed  over  the  entrance  and  ]iressed  down. 
The  nail-points  catch  in  the  wood  so  that  the  block  cannot  be  pushed  away 
by  the  bees.  AYhen  they  are  first  released,  this  may  be  moved  enough  to 
give  an  entrance  just  large  enough  for  one  bee  to  pass,  and  later  it  may 
be  moved  to  allow  the  full  entrance.  In  this  snuill  opening  a  single  bee 
will  stand  guard  and  is  able  to  keep  off  all  oneomers  in  a  manner  similar  to 
that  of  the  Spartans  at  the  Pass  of  Thermopylae. 

Shade. 


Shade  is  a  very  important  item  with  nuclei.  This  is  true  in  a  greater 
or  less  degree,  depending  upon  the  style  of  cover  in  use.  We  use  the  deep 
telescope  cover  which  shades  nearly  the  entire  side  of  the  nude  is.  In  ad- 
dition, the  cover  has  an  inner  lining  of  thin  boards  with  cleats  on  both  sides 
so  that  there  is  a  double  air  space,  one  above  this  inner  cover  and  one  below. 
Veiy  little  difference  is  noted  in  the  behavior  of  the  bees  in  such  nuclei 
whether  they  are  placed  in  the  sunshine  or  in  the  shade.  On  the  hottest 
days,  however,  the  bees  cluster  out  less  where  in  the  shade. 


NUr;u:iI,S  JnVES.—Chapler  XV. 

Jn  f-ase  a  single  oo\er  is  used,  shade  is  a  necessity.  Years  ago  when 
we  used  the  baby  nuclei,  some  were  in  the  sunshine  and  many  cells  did  not 
hatch;  and  when  they  did,  many  of  the  virgins  were  small,  dark  and  in- 
ferior. A  grove  is  the  best  shade,  and  if  the  trees  are  far  apart  to  admit 
the  sun  in  spots,  it  is  all  the  better,  for  on  dark  days  one  can  step  out  into 
these  lighter  spots  to  examine  tlie  coml)s  for  eggs,  etc.  Jn  case  the  ther- 
mometer does  not  go  above  ninety  degrees,  the  telescope  cover  with  two 
dead  air  spaces  gives  ])orfect  results. 


Achord    fiueen-reariii? 


VIRGIN  OR  CELL  INTRODUCTION. 


CHAPTER  XVr. 


A  number  of  methods  are  used  to  get  the  virgin  queen  safely  into  the 
nucleus  in  which  she  is  to  lay  after  mating-.  One  is  by  allowing  the  queen 
in  the  cell  which  is  kept  in  a  strong  colony  for  incubation  to  emerge  in  a 
nursery  cage.  I  used  that  method  for  several  years,  but  have  discarded  it 
since  I  could  not  get  so  good,  vigorous  queens  in  that  manner.  I  found  there 
are  two  reasons  for  this.  One  is  because  the  bees  are  unable  to  cluster  close- 
ly around  the  cells  in  order  to  keep  the  temperature  right,  and  the  result  is 
faulty  incubation  of  the  tender  pupa.  This  defect  manifests  itself  in  two 
ways,  by  smaller  queens  and  darker  queens.  If  the  cells  are  kept  too  cold, 
it  makes  the  queens  dark.  Sometimes  in  early  spring  the  cells  were  a  little 
below  the  proper  temperature,  in  which  case  no  harmful  effect  was  noted 
but  the  queens  were  darker  in  color.  When-  they  emerged  in  the  nursery 
cages  and  the  weather  Avas  cold  they  were  both  dark  and  small,  and  a 
number  of  the  cells  did  not  hatch.  N"ow,  in  theory,  if  the  cells  are 
placed  in  an  upper  story  over  a  strong  colony,  the  temperature  will  be 
Vae  same  as  though  no  cage  is  used.  But  if  the  bees  are  ventilating  the 
hive  or  fanning  to  evaporate  the  nectar  or  syi'up,  a  current  of  air  is  blow- 
ing through  the  hive.  If  the  bare  cell  is  in  the  hive  the  bees  cluster  tightly 
around  it,  thus  protecting  it  from  air  currents  and  keeping  it  at  just  the 
right  temperature ;  but  if  the  cell  is  in  a  cage,  the  bees  pay  no  attention  to 
it  whatever,  so  that  the  cool  current  of  air  blows  right  through  the  cage  and 
chills  the  cell. 

The  second  reason  why  too  many  inferior  queens  are  reared  when  the 
nursery  cage  is  used,  is  because  the  new  virgin  does  not  receive  the  proper 
feeding-  when  she  first  emerges,  and  this  at  the  time  that  she  most  needs 
abundance  of  food  of  the  right  kind.  When  she  emerges  in  the  cage  she 
has  to  depend  upon  the  candy  that  is  placed  there.  Sometimes  she  eats 
enough  of  this  to  keep  her  alive,  and  sometimes  she  perishes  from  an  en- 
forced hunger  strike.  Sometimes  the  bees  feed  the  queens  through  the 
wires,  and  sometimes  they  do  not.  I  have  noticed  some  peculiar  traits  of 
the  bees  in  this  connection.  They  occasionally  cluster  around  one  cage  and 
give  that  virgin  all  the  attention  in  their  power  while  they  are  balling 
another  cage,  and  probably  the  rest  are  ignored  altogether.  I  presume 
they  had  agreed  to  accept  that  one  queen  as  their  own  and  let  all  the  rest 
go  hang. 

That  the  virgin  does  not  receive  the  proper  food  and  care  while  in  the 
nursery  cage  and  that  her  development  is  retarded,  I  have  proved  many 
times.  As  we  know,  seven  to  eight  days  usually  pass  from  the  time  a  vir- 
gin emerges  from  the  cell  until  her  mating  flight.  I  noticed  in  many  cases 
that  a  longer  period  elapsed  before  the  virgin  mated.  Usually,  in  using 
the  nursery  cage,  the  virgin  mated  eight  days  from  the  time  she  was  re- 


VJTUJIS  OR  CIJLL  /XTL'ODiyjTIOX.— Chapter  XVI. 

k-iised  from  the  oage,  that  is,  the  xii.uiii  i-einaiiicil  in  the  ciiye  tiiree  days; 
theu  it  was  eleven  <lays  Iroiii  tlie  time  she  emerijed  lioiii  tlie  cell  till  she 
mated.  The  time  spent  in  the  nursery  cage  seems  time  lost  as  t'ai-  as  de- 
velopment is  concerned.  In  many  cases  these  queens  never  turned  out  to 
be  first-class  queens.  When  they  are  released  from  the  nursery  cage  as  soon 
as  they  emerge,  not  so  much  damage  is  done,  but  even  then  they  frequently 
suffer  on  account  of  improper  incubation  at  the  time  that  Kature  is  putting 
the  finishing  touch  on  the  pupa.  Some  had  legs  that  were  paralyzed  or 
withered  and  wings  underdeveloped. 

Moreover,  I  noticed  that  the  young  virgin  seemed  to  like  the  dried-up 
royal  jelly  that  remained  in  the  cell  from  which  she  emerged.  She  would 
eat  it  all,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  she  had  nice  candy  made  out  of 
powdered  sugar  and  honey.  Sometimes  the  queen  would  l)urro\v  into  the 
bottom  of  the  (jueen-cell  and  die  there.  From  these  obser\ations  I  rea- 
soned that  the  virgin  needs  royal  jelly,  and  the  only  satisfactory  way  for 
her  to  get  it  is  to  have  it  fed  to  her  by  the  nurse  bees.  I  then  conducted 
some  experiments  along  this  line.  A  number  of  cells  weie  caged,  and  a 
number  from  the  sauie  grafting  were  given  direct  to  nuclei.  Those  emerging 
in  the  nursery  cages  were  introduced  to  nuclei  in  the  same  cage  from  which 
they  emerged,  taking  about  three  days  for  the  introduction.  All  from  the 
cell-introduced  lot  with  one  e.xception  were  laying  before  the  first  from  the 
cage-introduced  lot.  A  number  of  exjieriments  of  a  similar  natui'e  were  cai- 
ried  on,  and  all  showed  conclusively  that  the  queens  wei-e  injured  l)y  remain- 
ing in  the  cages  at  this  time.  So  we  can  lay  it  down  as  a  safe  rule  that  in  or- 
der to  get  the  best  results  the  virgin  must  emerge  among  nurse  l)ees  in  order 
that  they  may  give  her  the  proper  food  and  care.  In  an  article  in  the 
American  Bee  Jounial,  I  gave  my  experience  with  the  nursery  cage,  and 
in  a  footnote  Editor  C.  P.  Dadant  stated,  "The  editor  api)lauds  with  botli 
hands  at  these  conclusions,  foi-  he  had  also  tried  the  queen  nursery 
years  ago  and  did  not  like  it."  With  the  backing  of  such  an  acknowledged 
authority  as  Mr.  Dadant,  T  feel  sure  of  my  gi-onnd  in  this  connection. 

The  Cell  Protector  a  Hindrance. 

The  cell  protector  was  discarded  lor  the  same  leason.  Tiie  bees  cannot 
properly  care  for  the  cell  when  it  is  in  the  inotector.  However,  this  is' not 
so  noticeable  as  in  the  case  where  the  cell  is  caged ;  but  there  is  little,  if  any- 
thing, to  be  gained  by  using  the  ]irotector.  Tt  is  a  known  fact  that  bees 
will  accept  a  cell  much  more  readily  than  they  will  acce]it  even  a  newly 
emerged  virgin.  That  being  true,  if  they  would  not  accejit  an  unprotected 
cell,  they  would  not  accept  the  virgin  when  she  emerged.  In  fact,  from 
several  expei-iments  I  am  convinced  that  the  cell  protector  is  a  hindrance 
rather  than  a  help.  At  one  time  we  introduced  one  hundred  bai'e  cells  and 
one  hundred  with  protectors.  When  we  came  to  look  for  the  virgins,  we 
found  about  30  per  cent  more  in  the  nuclei  where  the  bare  cells  had  been 
given.  Of  course,  they  did  not  tear  down  the  protected  cells,  but  they 
killed  the  virgins  as  soon  as  they  emei-ged. 

The  unemerged  (jueens  at  this  age  ai'e  \ery  tender  and  slio  ild  lu'  luiii- 
(lled  witii  the  greatest  care  and  should  not   be  awav   fidiii  the  bees  loimer 


l7/.7;/.V  on  ('l-:i,L  f.\ri,'()l>T'('TIOX.—Chapler  XVT. 


K>  0^<>  OO 


lliiiii  is  ahsoliitcly  iiccessaiy.  A  iiuiiibcr  of  yc'ai's  auo  I  used  to  lay  tlie 
fells  on  tlieir  >i(U's  in  a  box  (:outaininii  cotton  ])atting.  I  found  that,  if 
lliey  were  left  in  this  box  for  any  length  of  time,  many  queens  that  emerged 
fi'om  tiiem  would  1)e  criiiitled.  Their  legs  and  wings  in  particular  would 
suii'er.  In  convcisinu  with  ^\\.  Snodgrass,  of  the  Bureau  of  Entomology, 
Washington.  I).  ('.,  hf  infoniie<l  me  that,  if  the  pupa  lay  on  its  side  for 


Fig.    li. — Cells   avi'   flonded    witli    rny;il   jidly. 

any  length  of  time,  the  circulation  stopjicd.  which  results  in  injiuy  to 
the  ijarts  affected.  However,  if  the  viiizin  will  emerge  within  twenty- 
four  hours,  no  harm  will  come  if  a  cell  is  laid  on  its  side  for  a  short  lime. 
Keep  co\-ered  from  cool  air  or  iiol  sim,  an<l  by  careful  handliiiL;  ami  m;iiii- 
taining  as  nearly  as  possibh'  the  teiii|ieratiii'e  of  the  liec  cluslcr  its  |ierrect 
development  is  (|uite  cerlaiti. 


FiK.  3. 


VlItGIS  on  CELL  l\'n;oni-fTfO\.--(h(ii>lrr  Xi7. 


Tig.  4. — Day  alter  cell  was  capped. 


This  series  of  ))lioto,iiraplis  shows  tlie  <k'- 
velo]iinent  of  the  queen  from  tlie  .sraftinji:  \ip 
to  the  time  when  the  queen  emerges.  In  Fig- 
ure 1  you  will  note  that  the  cells  are  remod- 
eled to  suit  the  bees.  Wax  was  added  by  the 
bees,  showing'  they  were  secreting  it  pro- 
fusely. The  bottom  of  each  cell  is  covered 
with  royal  jelly.  Thus  in  the  twenty-four 
hours  of  confinement  in  the  swarm  box,  the 
bees  gave  the  larvae  the  proper  send-off.  In 
order  to  give  a  better  view  of  the  larva  one 
cell  was  torn  open. 

Fi.uiue  2  pictures  the  cells  one  day  later, 
after  they  had  been  in  the  finishing  colony 
for  twentv-four  hours.  The  marvelous  gTOAvth 


of  the  larvae  in  this  length  of  time  will  be 
noted;  but  when  we  notice  how  the  cells  are 
flooded  with  royal  jelly,  the  larvae  really  have 
no  excuse  for  not  growing,  rigiire  3  was 
taken  just  as  the  bees  were  capping  the  queen- 
cells.  The  larvae  are  getting  too  fat  to  curl 
up  in  them  any  more,  so  are  beginning  to 
lengthen  out  a  trifle.  The  two  end  cells  are 
alieady  capped.  Fig-ure  4  shows  the  larva 
the  day  after  the  cell  was  capped.  The  royal 
jelly  is  still  white  and  soft  and  would  be  in 
good  condition  to  use  in  grafting,  if  thinned 
slightly  with  water.  In  Figure  5  we  see  the 
larva  changing  into  a  pupa.  The  royal  jelly 
is  drj^ing  up  and  getting  darker  in  color. 

The  next  step  in  the  formation  of  the  queen 
is  shown  in  Figure  6.  The  change  from  the 
larva    into    the 


Fig.  6. — Royal  jelly 
brown. 


l)U2>a  is  SO  very  rapid 
as  to  seem  marvelous.  This  takes  place  in 
twenty-four  hours  and  in  that  short  time, 
head,  legs  and  short  wings  are  formed  so 
it  appears  a  fully  developed  queen  with 
tiie  exception  of  wings  and  color.  At  first 
this  pupa  is  exceedingly  soft.  While  han- 
dling one,  I  accidentally  dropped  it  on  my 
foot.  It  splattered  out  much  like  a  drop 
of  clabbered  milk,  and  no  form  of  the  pupa 
could  be  found.  The  pupa  remains  in  this 
form  with  very  little  change,  as  far  as  ap- 
pearances are  concerned,  for  about  seven 
<lays;  but  it  becomes  firmer  and  harder  con 
linually  during  that  period.  This  picture 
was  taken  the  tenth  day  after  grafting, 
therefore  one  can  see  the  condition  of  the 


54 


VIRGIX  on  CELL  IXTRODUCTIOy.— Chapter  XVI. 

pupa  at  the  time  the  cells  are  to  be  liandleil.  The  loyal  jelly  is  dry  and 
brown  as  shown  in  the  top  of  the  cell  where  it  dried,  leaving  a  sj^ace  in 
the  top  of  the  cell.  Where  it  is  found  necessary  to  handle  the  cell  con- 
taining the  tender  pupa  any  time  before  the  tenth  day  after  grafting,  great 
care  nuist  be  exercised  in  handling  it,  as  mentioned  elsewhere,  or  crippled 
queens  will  result.   . 

When  the  handling  of  cells  before  the  tenth  day  after  grafting  is  neces- 
sary, they  should  be  placed  in  boles  in  a  block  to  keep  them  right  side  up. 
As  we  handle  them  only  on  the  tenth  day,  such  care  is  not  necessary.  "We 
place  a  cushion  in  tbe  right  end  of  the  hive-seat,  on  whicb  the  cells  are 
laid.  A  cover  is  tacked  on  in  such  a  way  as  to  keep  off  the  sun's  rays  and 
yet  be  easily  raised  when  getting  the  cells.  Cripjiled  queens  are  practically 
unknown  to  us  since  using  this  method. 


raised  wlien  iretting  the  eel 


CELL  INTRODUCTION. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


To  establish  nuclei  and  introiluce  cells  to  them  is  our  next  step  in 
queen-rearing.  Let  us  consider  the  subject  a  little.  Two  features  in  queen- 
rearing  have  always  been  difficult:  first,  getting  the  newly  grafted  cells 
accepted  by  the  bees;  and  second,  some  safe  and  satisfactory  method  ot 
installing  the  queen-cell  or  virgin  in  the  nucleus. 

This  first  difficulty,  the  manner  of  getting  cells  accepted,  has  already 
been  described,  and  by  carefully  following  the  directions  given  one  should 
have  no  trouble  in  ha\ing  excellent  cells  built  in  abundance,  so  that  the 
largest  and  best  only  are  kept;  but  when  all  goes  as  it  should,  every  cell 
will  be  so  abundantly  supplied  with  royal  jelly  that  there  is  little  choice. 
Having  mastered  this  point  in  queen-rearing,  let  us  now  i)ass  to  the  feature 
that  has  in  the  past  been  extremely  difficult,  and  at  certain  times  of  the 
year  has  seemed  insurmountable. 

However,  few  things  on  earth  are  impossible  if  we  know  the  undei- 
lying  principles,  find  the  cause  of  failure  and  apply  the  remedy.  In  eases 
of  difficulty  in  any  walk  of  life,  even  queen-rearing,  a  splendid  motto  to 
adopt  is,  "There  is  a  way."  When  things  do  not  go  as  we  would  have 
them,  think  of  this  motto,  and  proceed  to  find  the  way.  There  must  suicly 
))e  a  way  in  this  case,  I  figured. 

Ill  the  i)ast  we  luive  been  led  to  understand  that  the  reason  why  bees 
tear  down  cells  gi\c'n  them  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  cells  are  strange, 
with  an  odoi'  different  from  that  of  the  cells  reared  in  the  colony.  Recog- 
nizing this,  the  bees  iJi-oceed  to  tear  them  down.  Now  many  things  jjointed 
to  tliis  belief.  For  instance  when  a  cell  was  gi\en  to  a  colony,  they  would 
tear  it  down  while  at  the  same  time  they  wei-e  building  cells  of  their  own; 
and  luany  times  when  they  had  cells  of  theij-  own,  they  would  leave  them 
unliaruied  and  immediately  tear  down  any  strange  cell  given  them.  The 
natural  deduction,  therefore,  was  that  they  destroyed  the  cell  given  them 
because  it  was  not  their  own.  If  such  were  the  case,  we  could  expect  little 
relief,  and  our  motto,  ''There  is  a  way,"  would  not  apply. 

Every  spring  when  establishing  nuclei  there  was  a  regular  ei)idemic  ol.' 
cell-destroying.  They  would  tear  down  cells  as  fast  as  given  to  them  until 
they  ran  into  laying  workers.  If  virgins  were  introduced  to  them  a  little 
better  progress  was  made,  where  we  used  our  Push-in  Caye.  However,  I 
was  thoroughly  convinced  if  the  veiy  best  queens  were  to  he  I'eared,  the 
virgin  must  not  only  emerge  among  the  bees  but  these  bees  must  be  anxioua 
to  receive  that  queen  in  order  tliat  they  may  not  injure  her,  but,  on  the 
contrary,  receive  her  gladly  with  outstretched  tongues  and  feed  her  abun- 
dantly that  she  may  develoj*  into  a  lai'ge  prolific  queen,  the  kind  we  all 
should  stri\e  to  pioduce  if  we  are  to  get  big  yields  of  honey. 


CELL  IMHonrcl  ioy.      Clmi^ler  Wll. 

So  the  question  of  how  to  S'et  the  l)ees  to  do  our  will  in  this  rcsiicct  was 
a  puzzler.  It  was  not  praftieal  to  introduce  the  ceil  in  a  ca.i^c  as  we 
would  a  queen.  I  f  what  we  had  been  tauiiht  was  true,  tliat  it  was  because 
it  was  a  strangle  i-cli,  there  seemed  little  hope  of  overcoming-  this  trait  of 
bee  nature;  and  to  set  about  to  overcome  this  rule  seemed  verj-  difficult  since 
there  apparently  was  nothinii'  to  give  us  a  clue.  There  seemed  to  be  no 
starting  point. 

In  the  spring  of  li)22,  although  there  was  a  liglit  stimulative  honey 
flow,  the  bees  were  the  worst  at  tearing  down  cells  in  all  my  beekeeping- 
experience.  I  had  planned  to  put  out  six  hundred  nuclei  in  two  weeks, 
forming  one  hundred  and  fifty  at  a  time  to  conform  to  our  program.  Wlien 
the  first  one  hundred  and  fifty  were  put  out,  nearly  all  the  cells  given  to 
them  at  the  time  of  forming  the  nuclei  were  destroyed.  The  second  batch 
of  cells  suffered  a  similar  fate,  and  there  was  no  use  in  forming  more  nuclei 
as  the  first  would  not  accept  cells.  The  mystery  as  to  why  they  tore  down 
the  cells  was  very  impressive,  to  say  the  least. 

I  sat  down  under  a  tree  to  see  if  I  could  think  out  "the  way."  I  care- 
fully went  over  the  experiences  of  the  inist  fifteen  years  and  finally  the 
truth  began  slowly  to  unravel  before  me.  I  remembered  that  upon  numerous 
occasions  I  had  taken  out  cells  from  one  of  the  finishing-  colonies,  and,  hav- 
ing had  no  immediate  use  for  them,  had  returned  them  to  another  finishing 
colonj',  paying  no  attention  about  putting  them  back  in  the  one  from  which 
they  were  taken.  I  recalled  that,  during  those  years,  hundreds  of  bars  of 
cells  had  been  placed  back  into  finishing  colonies  strange  to  them,  and  yet 
in  all  that  time,  to  my  knowledge,  not  one  single  cell  had  ever  been  cle- 
stroyecl.  Evidently,  then,  the  reason  the  bees  destroyed  cells  was  not  be- 
cause the  cells  were  strange.    What,  then,  was  the  reason  ? 

AVhat  was  there  about  those  strong-  colonies  that  had  a  piolific  laying- 
queen  confined  to  the  lower  story  that  caused  them  to  accept  strange  cells 
without  question,  while  the  nuclei  would  tear  them  down  as  fast  as  given 
them?  Why  did  a  strong  queenless  colony  that  had  1)een  used  to  finish  cells 
accept  a  dozen  bars  of  cells  and  never  tear  down  a  single  one?  Plainly,  the 
fact  that  it  was  a  strange  cell  had  little  oi-  nothing  to  do  with  it.  TJahihi,  il 
teas  the  condition  of  the  colon}/. 

If  this  Avas  true,  what  were  those  conditions  and  could  they  be  duplicat- 
ed in  the  nuclei?  I  became  quite  excited  over  the  i)ro|)osition.  The  only  dif- 
ference in  the  condition  of  the  finishing  colony  and  that  of  the  nuclei  Avas 
that  the  colony  Avas  being  fed  liberally  Avhile  the  nuclei  were  not;  for,  even 
when  artificial  feeding  was  not  resorted  to,  the  strong-  colony  was  gathering- 
enough  from  the  fields  to  bring  abundance  to  the  colony,  Avhile  the  nuclei, 
being-  weaker  in  field  bees,  were  not  getting  enough  from  the  fields  to  supply 
them  and  Avere  consequently  drawing  on  the  stores  i)resent  in  the  combs. 
Tould  it  be  that  the  secret  of  successful  cell  acceptance  was  merely  a  mattci- 
of  Iced  ?    T  Avould  soon  find  out. 

I  went  to  a  luimber  of  colonies  Iioim  which  1  cxjiectcd  to  lake  bi-ood 
for  forming-  nuclei  anrl  gave  them  ten  |m)1iii«1s  oI  thick  sugar  syrup  late  in 
the  evening-,  repeating  it  the  second  ni;^ht.  and  you  can  imagine  with  what 
eagerness  I  awaited  icsulls.  I  then  loniicd  nuclei  in  exactly  (he  same 
manner  as  before.     I'lcstol     J'rdcilrnili/  crmi  lall  u-as  dncplvd ! 

57 


CELL  INTRODUCTIOX.— Chapter  XV IL 

In  my  previous  attemjits  at  introduein.o'  cells  to  nuclei,  out  of  one  hun- 
dred, eighty-nine  cells  were  destroyed;  while  after  feeding,  only  four  were 
destroyed  out  of  one  hundred.  Yes,  "There  is  a  way."  To  be  sure  that 
the  conditions  as  regards  the  honey  flow  had  not  changed,  I  then  forraefl 
some  nuclei  without  feeding  and  some  with  feeding.  The  results  obtained 
were  in  every  way  similar  to  those  of  my  first  experiment. 

'My  next  step  was  to  see  if  this  would  be  as  entirely  successful  with 
the  established  nuclei  in  getting  them  to  accept  cells.  To  our  great  de- 
light we  found  this  aiso  worked  to  perfection.  "When  ready  to  give  a  cell, 
we  took  a  two-quart  Mason  jar  with  a  perforated  lid  and  shook  about  half 
a  pint  of  syrup  into  the  combs.  We  found  there  was  ])ractically  no  loss 
of  cells,  and  that  it  was  not  necessary  to  have  any  honey  in  the  frames  when 
forming  nuclei.  We  found  that  another  admirable  feature  resulting  from 
this  feeding  of  the  nuclei  is  that  the  bees  are  put  in  a  condition  to  give  ^he 
newly  emerged  virgin  the  very  best  of  care.  As  a  consequence  they  feed 
her  as  soon  as  she  emerges  so  that  she  develops  as  rapidly  as  though  reared 
in  a  ])opulous  colony  during  swarming  time.  Virgins  thus  reared  mature, 
mate  and  thus  begin  laying  one  or  two  days  sooner  than  in  nuclei  where 
no  feeding  is  practiced. 

This  inethod  of  feeding  to  i)revent  cell-destruction  is  practiced  at  any 
time  during  the  year  when  trouble  is  experienced  in  cell-acceptance.  After 
a  nucleus  is  established  and  a  good  honey  floAv  is  on,  feeding  is  discon- 
tinued. Even  during  a  honey  flow,  when  a  nucleus  is  first  established,  feed- 
ing is  necessary.  In  this  case  the  fielders  return  to  their  old  home,  leaving 
a  lot  of  emerging  brood.  The  bees  left  in  the  nucleus  can  get  no  honey 
from  the  fields  until  they  are  older;  therefore  the  nucleus  bees  are  hungry, 
and  will  destroy  cells  in  their  desperation.  Feeding  prevents  this.  Our 
nuclei  are  now  equipped  with  division-l)oard  feeders,  having  a  capacity  oj:' 
about  one  quart.  These  are  filled  with  syrup  the  day  before  giving  them  the 
ripe  queen-cell.     Seldom  indeed  is  ;i  cell  torn  down. 


58 


WHY  NUCLEI  TEAR  DOWN  CELLS. 


I'HAPTER  XVllI. 


Now  thai  -we  lia\e  worked  out  this  system  whereby  the  cells  are  accepted 
in  a  satisfactory  manner,  let  us  ask  the  bees  some  questions  to  find  out  why 
they  do  things  just  as  they  do. 

In  the  first  place,  when  do  they  have  cells  in  their  colonies  if  left  to 
their  own  devices?  The  greatest  number  of  cells  is  found  when  the  colony 
is  preparing  to  swarm.  And  what  are  the  conditions  within  the  hive  at 
this  time?  While  there  are  a  number  of  conditions  that  we  cannot  well 
duplicate  in  the  nucleus,  such  as  lots  of  bees  and  brood  in  all  stages,  yet 
there  is  one  important  feature — plenty  of  feed.  Some  nectar  is  coming  in 
from  the  fields,  the  nurse  bees  are  feeding  the  larvae,  and  all  bees  have  an 
abundance  of  food.  When  in  this  condition  they  not  only  build  cells  of 
their  own  but  will  tolerate  other  cells  if  given  to  them.  When  preparing  to 
swarm,  the  bees  with  ripe  cells  of  their  own  will  never  tear  down  strange 
cells  given  them ;  but,  let  a  rain  come  up  and  the  weather  turn  cold  so  that 
no  nectar  comes  in  from  the  field,  they  begin  tearing  down  cells  whether 
their  own  or  strange  ones. 

Now  notice  one  point  very  carefully.  They  tear  down  the  more  mature 
cells  first.  Their  instinct  seems  to  lead  them  to  realize  that,  if  they  tear 
down  all  cells,  they  would  have  to  start  all  over  again  and  build  from  the 
bottom  up,  in  case  the  weather  turned  warm,  and  nectar  again  came  in  so 
that  they  wish  to  swarm.  If  only  the  advanced  ones  were  torn  down,  they 
would  be  retarded  merely  a  few  days.  This  occurs  only  occasionally  dur- 
ing swarming  season,  but  is  almost  invariably  the  rule  w'hen  bees  are  super- 
seding their  queen.  I  have  noticed  many  times  during  supersedure  that  the 
advanced  cells  are  destroyed  while  new  ones  are  still  being  started.  The 
weather  or  nectar  secretion  seems  to  influence  them  in  this  respect. 

This  instinct,  therefore,  explains  why,  when  we  gave  cells  to  the  nu- 
clei, they  tore  ours  down  while  at  the  same  time  they  were  building  cells. 
They  tore  ours  down  because  ours  were  advanced,  and  not  because  they 
were  strange  cells.  If  you  wait  until  a  nucleus  has  ripe  cells  of  its  own, 
you  can  give  it  a  strange  ripe  cell,  and  the  bees  will  accept  it  without  ques- 
tion. Many  times  when  conditions  are  unfavorable,  finishing  colonies  will 
tear  down  the  cells  they  themselves  have  built.  A  heavy  feeding  w'ill  stop 
this  destruction. 

Therefore,  we  can  accept  as  a  rule  of  the  bees  that  they  will  not  toler- 
ate cells  when  they  are  hungry;  but,  if  they  are  lavishly  fed  either  from  a 
natural  honey  flow  or  by  receiving  sugar  syrup,  they  will  tolerate  and  ac- 
cept cells.  Moreover,  there  are  some  less  important  conditions  that  ren- 
der cell  acceptance  certain.  There  should  be  capped  brood  in  the  nuclei 
and,  if  possible,  brood  in  all  stages;  btit,  if  these  conditions  are  not  pres- 


117/)"  SrCLKI  Tl-:.\l;  IxnVS  cells.— Chai>ter  XVIH. 

ent,  a  heavy  feed  will  offset  tiie  lack  of  the  fornier  to  a  hii;li  (leyree.    When 
there  is  no  brood,  cell  acceptance  is  more  uncertain. 

You  ask,  "How  about  laying-  workers?"  Well,  we  were  talking  about 
the  laws  that  govern  bees,  and  these  do  not  ajtply  to  laying  workers  as  the 
laying'  worker  is  a  Bee  Bolshevik  and  knows  no  law.  However,  a  Bolshe- 
vik is  more  amiable  on  a  full  stomach ;  so  some  laying  workers  can  be  made 
to  get  into  line  by  feeding,  but  it  is  better  to  give  them  a  frame  of  emerging 
brood,  after  which  a  hearty  feed  gets  tliem  ready  to  accept  the  cell. 

If  this  idea  of  feeding  is  applied  to  the  different  phases  of  beekeeping, 
the  same  results  may  be  obtained  during  a  dearth  of  pasture  as  during  a 
honey  flow.  Many  have  observed  how  much  more  successful  queen  introduc- 
tion is  during  a  honey  flow  than  at  other  times.  Since  discovering  that  feed- 
ing prevents  cell-destruction,  1  have  lecouunended  to  those  having  trouble 
in  introducing  f|ueens  that  they  feed  the  colony  lieavily  while  the  cage  is 
in  the  hive.  Several  have  reported  that  this  gives  as  good  results  as  they 
can  get  during  a  honey  flow. 

Some  time  ago  the  honey  method  of  queen  intr(i(luction  was  advocated. 
The  plan  was  to  daub  the  queen  with  honey  and  run  her  in.  Some  rei)orted 
success ;  others,  failure.  Those  who  poured  a  pint  or  more  of  honey  on  the 
bees  and  queen  had  better  I'esults.  Xow,  it  was  not  the  daubing  of  the 
queen  that  helped  :  it  was  the  feedin(j.  Tn  other  Avords.  for  successful  intro- 
duction, duplicate  a  honey  flow  by  heavy  feeding.  The  feeding  should  lie 
done  at  night  to  ])revent  robbing. 

In  feeding  with  the  division-board  feeder  it  is  necessary  to  keep  tiic 
nuclei  in  strong  condition,  for  robbers  are  always  hanging  around  ready  to 
pounce  upon  the  nuclei  if  opportunity  offers.  By  jiroviding  ventilation  in 
the  ])ottom  of  the  nucleus  iiive  and  conti'acting  the  entrance  to  one  bee- 
space,  and  keei)ing  it  strong  in  l)ees,  no  serious  trouble  is  caused  Ijy  robbers. 
Sometimes,  Avhen  tliey  are  exceiitionally  bad,  we  close  the  entrance  entirely. 
In  this  way  all  j'obbers  that  get  on  the  combs  are  shut  in  the  nuclei  and  can 
not  go  back  home  to  sinead  the  news  that  free  plunder  is  to  be  had.  Conse- 
quently, other  robbei's  aic  not  sent  out  to  hunt  the  source  of  sui)i)ly  and 
marauding-  cxiicditions  ww  rcstrirted.  Altci-  lifteen  i>r  twenty  minutes,  llio 
entrances  nrc  opened,  when  {\\v  i-(»hl)eis  that  were  tiapped  rush  for  liome. 
The  nuclei  are  by  this  time  reorganized  and  able  to  stand  off  all  oncomers. 
In  feeding  either  nuclei  or  cell-])uildiiig-  colonies,  it  is  necessary  that  they 
liave  some  em|.tv  coml)  in  which  to  deposit  the  food,  for,  if  all  available 
space  is  occupied  l).\-  stores,  tliey  will  till  up  on  tliis  ami  become  Inzy  and  are 
(■asil\-  lobbed  out. 


/•v 


FORMING  NUCLEI. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


Let  us  now  tnko  up  oni'  i)ro,ur;iiii  where  we  left  olT.  lU'lore  Jorining- 
nuelei,  we  should  luive  the  nueleus  hives  in  theii'  phu-es  on  the  stands  where 
they  are  to  remain  through  the  season.  Ours  are  ]ihieed  in  rows  running 
l)etween  the  colonies,  which  are  set  four  in  a  group  tor  wintering  in  the 
quadruple  cases.  There  is  a  big'  advantage  in  having  tlie  nuclei  among  the 
colonies,  for  much  time  is  saved  in  drawing  brood  from  tlie  colonies,  get- 
ting cells  from  the  finishing  colonies,  etc.  Again,  when  the  virgins  take 
their  mating  flight  they  have  to  run  a  gauntlet  of  drones,  and  mating  is 
made  certain.  In  addition  all  virgins  are  mated  to  your  own  drones,  elimi- 
nating anj'-  chances  of  mating  to  drones  in  nearl)y  apiaiies  oi'  with  diones 
fi'oiii  colonies  in  trees. 

I  do  not  believe  queens  go  so  far  to  mate  as  is  generally  supposed.  I 
believe  that  Xature  intended  that  the  virgin  should  mate  with  drones  from 
her  o.wn  colony,  for  you  will  notice  that  Ijees  never  kill  oft'  their  drones 
when  they  have  a  virgin  in  their  hive.  In  their  natural  state,  where  bees 
are  in  trees,  in  many  cases  they  are  from  half  a  mile  to  two  miles  from 
their  nearest  neighbor.  "What  chance  would  a  vii-gin  have  in  uniting  with 
drones  at  such  distajices .'  Tsually  in  the  afteinoon  the  young  bees,  the 
virgin  queen  and  the  di-ones  all  come  out  for  exercise,  and  while  circling 
within  one  or  two  hundred  feet  of  the  hive,  the  virgin  mates.  Xature  has 
put  a  check  on  injurious  imbreeding,  in  that  tlie  drone  that  mates  with  the 
queen  immediately  dies,  and  if  there  should  be  an  after-swai'iii  the  accom- 
panying virgin  would  mate  with  a  difl'erent  drone. 

Formerly,  when  forming  nuclei,  we  used  to  place  a  nundjer  on  a 
wheelbarroAv  and  take  them  to  the  hives.  All  them  and  then  set  them  on 
their  stands.  I  prefer  now  to  place  them  on  their  stands  and  take  frames 
of  brood  to  them.  Right  here  let  me  mention  two  articles  of  yard  furniture 
quite  necessary  to  the  comfort  of  the  queen-breeder — the  hive-seat  and  the 
eomb-box.     One  should  have  a  hive-seat  large  enough  to  accouuuodate  the 

necessary  equii^ment.  In  addition 
I  certainly  recommend  the  comb- 
box,  one  of  the  handiest  conveni- 
ences about  any  apiary.  This  box 
is  made  of  half-inch  lumber  and 
is  large  enough  to  hold  seven 
frames.  It  has  a  bee-tight  cover 
and  can  be  used  t-o  store  empty 
coud)s  or  frames  of  honey  and  to 
caiiy  frames  of  brood  and  bees 
to  form  nuclei  or  ]iut  into  the 
finishini;'  colonies. 


roiiMisc  .\!Jr:Li-:i.—('h«ii,i,u-  xix. 


if  \hv  handiest   conveniences. 


Into  each  nucleus,  as  it  rests  upon  the  stand  where  it  is  to  be  for  the 
summer,  we  put  a  narrow  division-board  feeder,  which  holds  about  one 
quart  of  syrup  when  full.  We  have  found  these  much  better  than  the  two- 
quart  Mason  jar  with  perforated  lid,  which  we  first  used,  for,  while  these 
jars  give  good  results,  during  a  robbing  season  the  robbers  are  apt  to  be- 
come a  nuisance  to  the  nuclei.  This  nucleus  feeder  measures  %  inch, 
inside  measurement,  is  made  out  of  ^/4-iiich  material,  and  is  the  regulation 
size  of  a  division-board.  This  feeder  should  be  filled  the  day  before  a 
cell  is  given,  and  when  this  plan  is  followed  there  is  practically  no  loss  of 
cells. 

Two  days  before  time  to  form  nuclei  and  introduce  our  first  cells,  the 
colonies  froui  which  the  frames  of  brood  are  to  be  taken  should  be  fed  lib- 
erally. Any  feeder  will  do,  but  I  prefer  to  fill  their  bottom-board  feeders 
at  night  for  two  nights.  Tliis  is  necessary  to  put  the  bees  in  condition  to 
accept  cells  upon  their  arrival  in  the  nuclei. 

It  is  now  the  fifteenth,  tlie  time  for  introducing  the  cells  from  our  fii'st 
grafting.  The  comb-boxes  are  taken  to  the  colonies  that  have  been  thus 
fed,  and  frames  containing  brood  and  some  honey  witli  the  adhering  bees 
are  put  into  them.  All  frames  should  have  considerable  capped  brood. 
Into  each  nucleus  put  one  frame  with  its  adhering  bees,  fill  the  feeder  with 
one  quart  of  thick  syrup,  and  close  the  entrance. 

Then  go  to  one  of  the  finishing  colonies,  take  out  the  bar  of  ripe  cells, 
and  with  a  sluirp,  thin  knife  cut  between  the  cells  in  case  these  have  been 
built  totiethcr,  wol)-rootf'<l   fnsliion.     Then  iiui  the  kuil'e  under  the  base  of 


I'OUMISC  Xt'CfJ'Jf.     Chapln-  XIX. 

one,  lii'l  it  oil',  put  it  \oiy  .ucjitly  into  tlic  l)ox  in  tlio  liive  seat,  being  care- 
ful not  to  invert  or  jar  it  in  any  way,  ami  iciiioxc  all  cells  in  like  manner. 
Now  go  to  tlie  first  nucleus  lii\e  to  receive  a  cell.  Take  one  from  the  bo.x, 
lift  out  the  frame,  and -sently  i)ress  the  cell  into  the  comb  just  above  the 
brood.  Replace  the  coml)  so  the  cell  will  come  next  to  the  ])artition  which 
separates  the  two  nuclei,  and  thus  be  in  a  warmer  place.  Do  the  same  with 
the  other  com])artment  of  the  nucleus  hive,  and  replace  the  cover.  Continue 
thus  until  your  supply  of  cells  is  exhausted.  Close  the  entrance  tight  so 
no  bee  can  get  out.  In  the  bottom  of  the  nucleus  hive  at  the  back  end  is  a 
hole  about  one  inch  in  diameter  in  the  bottom-board.  The  hole  is  covered  with 
coarse  screen  cloth,  and  left  open  all  the  time.  This  is  quite  necessary,  for, 
when  the  bees  are  confined,  it  affords  them  ventilation.  In  hot  weather 
when  robbers  are  troublesome,  this  enables  one  to  close  the  entrance  when 
needed,  or  the  entrance  may  be  contracted  down  to  one  bee-spaco,  and  yet 
the  bees  will  get  abundant  ventilation  through  this  opening. 

Leave  the  bees  in  these  nuclei  confined  two  nights,  but  liberate  them 
after  dark  on  the  third  night.    By  this  time  their  old  home  is  forgotten,  and 


i^mmm 


Bnill    til-ether  web-footed    fashion. 

most  of  them  will  remain  in  this  new  location.  A  few  of  the  old  ones 
will  probably  go  back,  but  not  enough  will  desert  to  do  any  damage. 

By  following  this  method  carefully,  practically  all  cells  should  be  ac- 
cepted. If  any  are  not,  it  is  important  to  see  that  the  feeder  is  filled  when 
giving  the  second  cell;  for,  no  matter  how  much  nectar  is  in  the  fields,  too 
few  old  bees  are  in  the  nucleus  to  gather  it,  and,  Avhen  the  young  bees 
emerge,  they  require  lots  of  feed.  If  not  abundantly  fed  at  this  time,  they 
will  tear  down  nearly  all  cells. 

The  day  following  cell  introduction  the  virgin  should  emerge,  and  all 
ife  well.  The  following  Satui-day,  when  introducing  other  cells,  look  through 
the  first  and,  if  any  nucleus  fails  to  have  a  virgin  queen,  it  should  be  given 
anotlier  cell. 

Number  of  Swarm  Boxes  Needed. 


I  have  found  one  swarm  box  (o  the  hundred  nuclei  sullicicnt.  We  have 
described  the  process  up  to  the  time  of  the  emerging  of  the  virgin  queen, 
presuming  we  are  using  one  swarm  box.  If  the  beekeeper  grafts  oftener 
than  twice  a  week,  more  nuclei  per  swarm  box  can  be  run.  If  several  hun- 
dred nuclei  are  maintained,  it  is  advisable  to  have  an  extra  swarm  box  to 


FO/i'MlNG  SUCLKI.—Chupler  XIX. 

be  used  in  "cateliing  up''  after  a  period  ot.'  unlavcjiahle  weatlier.  bad  luck, 
inismanas'enient  or  accidents,  which  are  liabh?  to  overtake  tlie  queen-breedei-. 
I  run  six  hundred  nuclei  and  have  eight  swarm  boxes.  Very  seldom  are  the 
ciiiiit  all  jn-essed  into  service.     Usually  but  five  are  needed. 

Jt  is  advisal)le  to  have  always  an  ?'.l)undance  of  i-ells,  l\)r,  l)y  llie 
-method  described,  they  are  easy  to  produce.  To  throw  away  lifty  cells  is 
much  more  econouiical  than  to  be  short  five  cells  when  needed.  Not  in- 
frequently at  the  end  of  the  season,  I  have  a  half  bushel  of  cells  that  have 
been  discarded.  While  it  may  look  like  waste  to  throw  away  hundreds  of 
fine  cells,  it  is  the  best  way  out.  In  the  i)ast  I  have  sometimes  tried  to  sa\e 
them  by  using  cages,  etc. ;  but  it  is  false  economy.  If  the  weather  has 
been  unfavorable  for  mating  and  you  luivc  a  lot  of  ripe  cells,  while  the 
virgins  have  not  mated  so  as  to  be  out  oT  the  way,  just  "junk"  your  cells 
and  forget  it.  If  the  weather  has  delayed  the  mating  three  days,  you  ai-e 
set  back  just  three  days  and  you  can't  help  it,  unless  you  are  a  Joshua  and 
can  stop  the  sun  while  you  catch  uj)  with  (|ueen  orders;  but  most  of  us  lack 
talent  in  that  line.  No,  you  cannot  gain  time  by  manipulating  the  clock, 
cither.  We  have  ti'ied  that.  One  of  the  ways  in  saving  cells  is  to  go  thi-ough 
nil  the  nuclei  and  cull  out  any  fjueens  that  are  not  up  to  sttmdard,  giving 
(hem  a  cell;  and  should  any  vii'gin  be  missing,  replace  her  with  a  cell  also. 
Ill  tJiat  niannei'  jiart  of  the  cells  may  be  saved. 

Another  juofitable  way  to  use  surplus  cells  is  in  requeening,  as  described 
in  '."lia])ter  XXXI,  where  a  double  In'ood-chamher  is  used.  If  the  single 
brood-nest  is  in  service,  the  old  queen  should  be  removed,  and  the  cell  given 
immediately.  During  a  heavy  honey  flow  the  cell  will  be  accejjted  without 
ceremony;  but,  if  no  honey  is  coming  in,  a  heavy  feed  puts  the  colony  in  con- 
dition to  accept  the  cell  perfectly.  If  one  has  e.xtra  hive  bodies  or  nuclei, 
these  may  be  brought  into  use  and  the  cells  saved.  These  lii\e  bodies  or 
nuclei  may  later  be  united  Avith  the  colony  to  be  requeened.  al'tei-  first  Imiit- 
iiii;  out  and  disposing  of  the  old  queen  as  described. 

I'.y  carefully  rollowiii-  the  methods  we  employ  lor  cell-biiildiii-  as  we 
have  tried  to  describe,  line  lar.uc  cells  are  pioiliiced  at  little  cost,  so  that 
cells  are  very  <'liea]).  and  a  Lioodly  sn|>ply  lor  all  purposes  i<  constaiitl\-  ;it 
hand. 


MISFORTUNES  OF  THE  QUEEN-BREEDER. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


From  the  -raftin-'  ol'  n  hu'va  to  the  (akiii^'  out  of  a  fine  hiying  queen 
is  a  lonii'  step.  Many  tliin.ys  may  liappen  to  that  hirva  to  prevent  her 
"coronation."  Even  if  the  queen-breeder  has  done  the  very  best  he  knows, 
there  will  be  accidents  and  blunders.  Things  may  be  going  along  nicely 
when  suddenly  the  weather  turns  cool,  the  rain  pours  down  and  the 
wind  blows.  Now,  a  little  of  this  does  not  hurt  much,  but  let  it  keep  up 
for  several  days  and  it  hurts  a  whole  lot.  Cells  are  torn  down  in  finishing 
colonies  and  in  nuclei.  Virgins  fail  to  mate  and  come  up  missing.  Grafting 
time  is  on  and  you  are  not  expecting  this  "duck-hunting"  weather  to  con- 
tinue, so  you  do  not  feed.  The  result  is  tliat  when  you  graft,  there  is  a 
very  poor  acceptance,  and  you  go  sulking  around  with  the  grouches,  saying 
to  yourself,  "Looks  like  I  am  just  about  out  of  the  queen  business." 

Xow  if  you  get  in  a  muss  like  this  and  you  happen  to  be  a  commer- 
cial (jueen-breeder,  you  will  begin  to  hear  murmurings  from  the  "office 
force."  She  will  want  to  know  why  it  is  that,  although  the  output  of 
queens  is  falling  off,  the  correspondence  is  rapidly  increasing.  She  says, 
"Here  are  a  lot  of  letters  asking  why  you  have  not  sent  those  queens  as 
you  promised;  and  here  is  one  who  says  he  is  going  to  report  you  to  the 
"bee  journals  if  you  don't  send  those  queens  by  return  mail!"  Well,  it  serves 
you  right  if  he  does,  for  not  having  a  "tornado  clause"  in  your  contract; 
so  you  turn  your  back  on  the  "office  force"  and  tell  her  something  like 
this,  "Oh,  give  them  some  of  that  threadbare,  moth-eaten  dope  about  un- 
favorable w'eather  conditions  and  so  on!" 

But  the  skies  are  clearest  after  a  storm,  so  the  clouds  roll  away  and  a 
soft  warm  south  breeze  comes  uv).  In  the  morning  you  go  out  into  the 
apiary,  feeling  that  this  world  is  not,  after  all,  such  a  punk  place  in 
which  to  live.  A  meadow  lark  sits  on  a  metal  hive  cover  washing  its  feet 
in  the  heavy  dew.  As  it  points  its  bill  up  at  the  sky  and  begins  to  sing,  you 
wonder  why  it  was  a  day  ago  you  were  in  the  dumps.  Bees  come  scamper- 
ing in  with  their  baskets  bulging  with  pollen.  Occasionally  they  lose  some 
of  it  at  the  entrance  of  the  hives  where  it  gets  water-soaked  and  makes  a 
mess  in  the  doorway.  The  day  is  clear,  the  sun  is  shining,  the  bees  are 
bringing  in  nectar,  and  queen-reai'ing  goes  on  at  high  tension  again. 

Xow  what  are  we  going  to  do  when  bad  weather  hits  us?  As  our  be- 
loved .Tauies  Whitcomb  Riley  says, 

"It  ain't  no  use  t«  grumble  and  complain, 
It's  just  as  cheap  and  easy  to  rejoice; 
When  God  sorts  out  the  weather  and  sends  rain, 
Why,  rain's  my  choice!" 


MISFORTUNES  OF  THE  QUEEN -BREEDER.— Chapter  XX. 

Nothing  we  can  do  will  make  tlie  conditions  as  favorable  as  tliey  are 
during  good  honcy-gatliering  weather;  but  wg  can  do  a  few  things  that 
will  materially  lessen  the  loss.  When  it  begins  to  rain  or  turn  cold,  a  good 
policy  is  to  feed  the  cell-finishing  colonies  as  well  as  the  colonies  that  are  to 
furnish  bees  for  the  swarm  boxes,  and  give  a  little  to  tiie  colony  contain- 
ing your  breeding  queen.  If  the  weather  is  very  cold,  contract  the  en- 
trances considerably,  and  give  the  bees  the  feed  rather  warm.  If  the 
weather  turns  warm  immediately  the  feeding  was  unnecessary,  but  no  harm 
has  been  done. 

Another  incident  that  often  "plays  hob"  with  the  queen-breeder's  hopes 
is  a  queen-cell  overlooked  above  the  excluder,  when  a  virgin  has  emerged 
and  tears  down  all  the  cells  in  that  hive.  One  cannot  guard  too  carefully 
against  this.  Every  few  days  examine  the  frames  in  the  upper  story  of 
the  finishing  colony  for  queen-cells.  Shake  off  all  the  bees  from  each  frame 
and  look  closely.  Sometimes  a  very  small  cell  will  escape  notice  if  a  care- 
ful search  is  not  made,  and  the  virgin  emerging  from  it  will  play  havoc 
with  all  the  cells.  Such  cases  as  the  above  are  when  the  extra  swarm  boxes 
must  be  brought  into  play  in  order  to  make  up  as  soon  as  possible  for  the 
cells  lost.  But  if  care  is  taken  there  will  be  a  natural  surplus  of  cells,  so 
that  it  takes  an  unusual  setback  to  require  more  cells  tlian  you  normally 
have  ready. 

Another  and  i^erhaps  the  greatest  problem  with  which  the  queen-breeder 
has  to  contend  is  that  of  robber  bees.  When  no  nectar  is  coming  in,  these 
rascals  make  life  miserable  for  the  beekeeper  and  interfere  with  queen- 
production  seriously.  If  a  nucleus  becomes  weak  they  rob  it  out  and,  stinux- 
lated  by  their  victory,  hunt  all  over  the  yard  for  others  of  insufficient 
strength  to  resist  tlieir  attacks.  When  a  hive  is  opened  these  robbers  fairly 
swarm  into  it.  They  soon  learn  to  follow  the  beekeeper  around  so  as  to  be 
on  hand  instantly  when  he  opens  a  hive.  Even  if  a  strong  colony  is  left 
open  too  long,  it  is  robbed  out.  Colonies  from  which  bees  are  taken  to  fill 
swarm  boxes  will  be  robbed  if  not  carefully  protected ;  and  wlien  the  queen- 
less,  broodless  method  is  used,  the  colony  is  powerless  against  them. 

In  our  yard,  when  robbers  are  exceptionally  bad  we  remove  the  brood 
and  queen  from  the  cell-starting  colony  late  in  the  evening  and  graft  early 
the  next  morning.    In  that  we  "put  one  over"  on  the  robbers. 


RECORDS  FOR  THE  NUCLEUS  HIVES. 


CHAPTER  XX] . 


If  one  has  even  as  small  a  number  as  one  hundred  hives,  some  sys- 
tem of  keeping  tab  on  the  condition  within  is  necessary.  Some  keep  a 
book  containing-  the  record.  I  tried  this,  but  after  it  got  pretty  well  stuck 
up  with  propolis,  it  failed  to  function  and  was  indeed  a  closed  book.  Keep- 
ing the  record  on  the  hive  with  a  pencil  is  better.  But  too  much  time  is 
taken  to  place  the  record  there  and  too  much  time  is  required  to  read  it,  since 
it  is  necessarj'  to  get  up  close  to  the  hive  in  order  to  see  it.  A  record  to  be 
satisfactory  must  be  so  made  as  to  be  seen  readily  at  a  distance.  I  tried 
various  schemes  imtil  the  present  "block  system,"  which  has  given  such  en- 
tire satisfaction,  was  worked  out. 

Four  conditions  within  the  nucleus  hive  must  be  known.  They  are 
Queenless,  Cell,  Virgin  and  Laying  Queen.  To  indicate  these  conditions 
we  use  a  block  of  wood  2V2  s  2I/2  x  I14  inches.  It  is  painted  white  on  top 
and  red  on  the  bottom;  while  the  sides  are  painted  black,  red,  white  and 
blue,  reading  to  the  right.  The  block  is  laid  on  the  hive  with  the  white 
side  up.  When  the  nucleus  is  queenless,  the  black  side  is  to  the  front; 
when  a  cell  is  given  it  is  turned  a  one-quarter  turn  making  it  red;  when 
the  virgin  emerges  it  is  turned  to  white,  and  when  she  begins  to  laj'  an- 
other quarter  turn  brings  it  to  blue.  These  colors  may  be  seen  at  a  glance 
from  a  distance  and  the  condition  known  without  close  inspection.  These 
colors  are  suggestive.  Black  for  queenlessness,  conditions  are  dark  within, 
lied  when  the  cell  is  given  and  danger  for  the  cell  that  is  being  introduced. 
When  the  block  is  turned  to  white,  the  presence  of  a  virgin  is  denoted, 
white  being  symbolic  of  purity.  The  laying  queen  is  what  you  are  working 
for  and  denotes  a  "blue  ribbon.'' 

Sometimes  there  may  be  other  conditions  in  the  hive  that  need  atten- 
tion, such  as  the  lack  of  stores  or  bees.  When  this  is  the  case,  the  block  is 
turned  the  red  side  up,  which  shows  that  it  needs  attention.  The  reading 
on  the  side  of  the  block  may  remain  the  same.  This  record  is  very  simple 
and  effective,  and  has  proved  verj-  satisfactory.  Nearly  every  one  has  his 
own  "system"  in  such  matters. 

Now  we  come  to  the  matter  of  dates,  which  is  equally  simple  but  may 
not  be  quite  so  easy  to  explain.  After  a  laying  queen  is  taken  out  two 
weeks  will  pass  before  another  can  be  taken  out  even  if  all  goes  well,  which 
condition  does  not  happen  in  every  case.  Consequently  we  divide  the  hive 
into  four  imaginary  parts,  for  in  the  two  weeks'  period  there  will  be  need 
of  four  operations — four  introductions,  four  removals  of  laying  queens, 
etc.  As  you  stand  looking  at  the  side  of  the  nucleus  hive,  the  first  position 
is  at  the  left  end,  the  second  position  is  just  left  of  the  center  of  the 
hive,  the  third  position  is  just  to  the  right  of  the  center,  and  the  fourth 
position  is  at  the  right  end.    Let  us  suppose  we  are  going  to  introduce  cells 


IIFA'OIIDS   l-Ol;    IIIF.    XrCLHIS   IIIVFS.—CUdplrr  XXI. 

on  Tuesday.  Tliis  is  at  the  first  of  the  week,  so  we  put  in  the  cell,  place 
the  block  at  the  extreme  left  end  of  the  nucleus  and  turn  the  red  side  to- 
wards us.  The  next  time  Ave  are  introducing  cells  we  examine  this,  and  if 
the  cell  has  jiroduced  its  queen  we  give  the  block  a  (|uartcr  turn  to  white, 
but  leave  it  in  the  same  position  on  the  hive. 

When  the  block  is  turned  to  white,  it  needs  no  more  attention  until  the 
lime  comes  to  remove  the  laying  queen.  AVhen  we  introduce  cells  the  next 
Saturday  we  go  to  those  not  having  cells,  supply  them  and  i)lace  the  blocks 
just  to  the  left  of  the  center  since  it  is  the  last  introduction  of  the  week. 
Then  turn  the  blocks  to  red.  Do  this  in  a  similar  manner  on  the  following 
Tuesday  and  Saturday,  when  the  blocks  will  be  placed  at  the  left  of  center 
and  at  the  extreme  right  of  the  nucleus  hive  for  these  days  respectively. 
Now  on  the  following  Monday  the  (lueens  that  have  emerged  from  the  first 
cells  we  put  in  should  be  laying  and  should  be  removed  and  the  blocks 
turned  to  black.  On  Tuesday  we  can  give  this  nucleus  another  cell,  or  a 
cell  may  be  given  immediately  upon  removing  the  laying  queen  provided 
the  feeder  was  filled  with  syrup  or  honey  on  the  day  previous. 

If  every  cell  we  jjut  in  resulted  in  a  laying  queen,  the  ]>osition  of 
these  blocks  would  never  be  changed  on  the  nuclei  and  they  would  only  be 
turned  to  the  different  colors.  But  if  we  are  introducing  on  Saturday,  let 
us  say,  and  we  examine  one  that  is  red  on  the  previous  Tuesday  position 
and  we  find  that  the  \irgin  is  missing,  we  should  have  to  move  the  block 
down  to  the  Sntiirday  |  ositioii.  All  comijlications  that  might  arise  are 
taken  care  of  with  this  system.  Xow  s\ippose  we  come  on  Monday  to  re- 
move a  queen  and  she  has  laid  only  half  a  dozen  eggs,  not  enough  so  that 
we  can  properly  judge  her  merit.  If  we  left  the  block  in  that  position 
turned  to  white,  we  should  be  unable  to  tell  whether  she  belonged  to  the 
lot  that  were  ready  to  lay  or  the  lot  that  were  due  to  lay  two  weeks  later.  So 
in  that  case  we  turn  the  block,  to  blue  and  leave  it  until  the  next  shipping- 
day  and  examine  again.  However,  suppose  the  virgin  when  the  shippinj; 
day  comes  is  not  laying,  bitt  looks  as  though  she  might  in  a  s'.iort  time,  you 
would  not  turn  it  to  blue  for  she  is  not  laying,  and  if  you  left  it  at  white 
it  would  not  be  examined  till  two  weeks  later.  In  that  case  we  turn  the 
block  one-eighth  of  a  turn,  which  brings  it  midway  between  virgin  and 
laying,  and  thus  it  will  be  looked  after  when  the  next  shipping  date 
arrives.  Now  su]ipose  we  look  for  a^  virgin  and  cannot  find  her.  Maybe 
she  is  out  for  a  flight,  as  it  is  well  known  that,  as  soon  as  they  are  able 
to  fly,  they  spend  nuich  of  their  time  flying  out  for  exercise  before  mating. 
You  do  not  want  to  turn  the  block  to  white,  for,  if  the  queen  is  lost,  that 
nucleus  will  remain  queenless  for  too  long  a  period  juid  you  will  lose  the 
use  of  it  until  the  shii)i)ing  date  ari-ives  when  you  will  s-c  it  is  <|neenless.  In 
such  cases  the  block  is  given  a  one-eighth  turn  backwai-d,  which  brings  it 
half  way  between  cell  and  viiiiin.  The  next  time  you  are  introducing  cells 
you  will  examine  it,  and,  if  you  can  still  find  no  queen,  a  cell  is  given.  If 
the  queen  is  there,  it  is  turned  to  white  if  a  vii'gin,  oi-  l)lue  if  she  is  laying. 
These  blocks  are  made  at  the  i)laning  mill.  They  are  of  hard  wood  so 
they  are  heavy  and  will  remain  in  place.  At  first,  1  had  some  misgivings 
as  to  whether  they  would  stay  in  position.  I  wondered  if  the  wind  might 
blow  them  off.     Soon  after  ])ntting  them  there  a   tenific   wind   and    rain 


REGOIUJS  FOR  THE  NUCLEUS  HIVES.— Chapter  XXI. 

storm  eanie  along-  that  tlireatenea  to  blow  everything  away.  Not  a  single 
blofk  was  moved  in  the  least.  I  never  had  a  bit  of  trouble  except  once,  and 
that  lasted  onlv  a  short  time.  I  would  (ind  the  blocks  moved  or  turned 
around  while  some  were  on  the  ground.  Was  it  possible  the  wind  did  do 
it  after  all?  The  children  do  not  play  up  there,  for  discretion  forbids.  One 
morning  the  blocks  were  disarranged  again.  It  had  been  a  very  still  night 
with  no  wind.  Xow  we  have  had  an  owl's  nest  in  our  oak  trees  every  year, 
and  that  owl  and  I  are  not  on  the  best  of  terms,  for  when  he  can  catch  me 
out  in  the  apiary  after  dark,  especially  if  I  am  bai-eheaded,  he  seems  to 
take  much  pleasure  in  scratching  me  on  the  head.  This  owl  is  one  of  the 
smaller  editions,  about  four  inches  in  height,  but  golly!  how  he  can  scratch-! 
I  made  up  my  mind  it  was  that  consarned  owl,  and  now  that  I  had  a  double 
•n-udge  I  had  a  good  case  against  him  and  T  could  shoot  him,  so  I  prepared 
for  Mr.  Owl.     But  one  day  T  ha])iiened  to  look  out  and  I  saw  what  the 

trouble  really  was.  A 
blue  jay  was  hopping 
from  one  block  to 
another  in  the  most 
j  u  1)  i  1  a  n  t  spirits. 
Sometimes  he  would 
kick  a  block  off,  and 
sometimes  he  would 
spin  one  around. 
Xow  I  do  not  want 
to  shoot  any  of  our 
birds  that  build  their 
nests  in  our  woods, 
but  this  blue  jay 
was  throwing  the 
system  all  out  of  kil- 
ter. Why,  he  had 
some  marked  queen- 
less  when  they  had  a 
laying  queen,  and  he 
had  one  marked  a 
Position  of  blocks  on  nnciei.  laying  queeu  whcn  it 

had  laying  workers!  So  1  had  to  ask  inyseir  this  question,  "xVm  I  engaged 
in  the  bee  or  blue  jay  culture?"  Decidedly  1  was  in  the  bee  business,  so  I 
took  mv  shotgun  and  as  the  guilty  bird  started  to  fly  away  I  shot  him. 
There  were  two  nests  of  blue  jays  in  the  trees,  but,  strange  to  say,  there 
never  was  another  block  disturbed.  The  owl  continues  to  scratch  my  head, 
heedless  of  the  bricks  and  clubs  that  are  shied  his  way ;  but,  since  he  in  no 
way  interferes  with  queen-rearing,  we  get  along  i)retty  well. 

The  first  nucleus  contains  a  virgin  queen  that  emerged  from  a  cell 
placed  in  it  the  first  of  the  week.  The  second  nucleus  in  the  same  hive  shows 
the  block  in  the  queenless  i)osition.  The  (jueen  has  just  been  removed  on 
Friday.  The  third  nucleus  illustrates  the  block  turnetl  to  white,  indicating  a 
virgin  that  should  be  laying  the  first  of  next  week.  The  fourth  nucleus 
indicates  that  no  (lueen  could  be  found  when  looking  for  laying  (lueens; 


RECORDS  FOR  THE  NUCLEUS  HIVES.— Chapter  XXI. 

but  it  was  thought  the  queen  miyht  be  flying  out,  so  the  block  is  turned 
between  cell  and  virgin.  Study  this  picture  and  see  if  you  can  tell  from 
the  blocks  what  day  of  the  week  it  is  supposed  to  be  and  where  we  are  now 
working.  The  position  of  the  red  and  blue  could  not  be  shown.  These 
hives  are  too  close  for  mating  queens,  and  are  placed  in  this  manner  merely 
to  illustrate  the  block  system. 


Colonies  packed  in  qiiadruple  cases  furnish  brood  for  forming  nuclei  early  in  the  spring. 


CARE  OF  NUCLEI. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


Too  much  emphasis  can  not  be  placed  upon  the  impoitance  of  keeping 
the  niielei  in  the  best  possible  condition.  They  must  be  strong  in  bees,  with 
abundance  of  brood  and  rich  in  honey  if  the  best  success  is  to  be  achieved 
in  incubating  the  cells  and  mating  the  queens. 

Honey  in  Nuclei. 

If  plenty  of  honey  is  provided  in  the  nuclei  tliere  will  be  no  abscond- 
ing; but,  if  not,  the  bees  will  abscond  about  the  time  the  queen  should  be- 
gin to  lay.  You  should  bear  in  mind  that  a  nucleus  in  the  proper  condition 
is  a  valuable  asset  and  will  pay  you  big  dividends ;  but  if  it  is  allowed  to 
run  out  of  brood,  if  it  gets  weak  in  bees  or  has  not  sufficient  honey,  every 
thing  will  go  wrong.  Cells  will  be  torn  down,  virgins  will  be  killed,  and 
bees  will  abscond.  Take  good  care  of  your  nucleus.  It  is  the  goose  that  is 
laying  the  golden  eggs.  Do  not  starve  it  or  it  will  cease  to  lay.  Fre- 
quently frames  in  nuclei  may  be  exchanged  with  advantage  to  both.  In 
case  one  has  an  abundance  of  honey  and  no  brood,  and  another  has  an 
abundance  of  bees  and  brood,  these  combs  should  be  exchanged  and  both 
wnll  be  put  in  better  condition. 

Laying  Workers  in  Nuclei. 

If,  for  some  reason,  several  cells  that  are  given  to  a  nucleus  are  torn 
down,  all  brood  will  have  time  to  emerge  and  laying  workers  will  result.  To 
cure  them  of  this  bad  habit,  take  away  their  comb  and  give  them  an- 
other with  unsealed  brood  and  all  adhering  bees.  They  will  usually  accept 
a  queen-cell,  and  the  trouble  is  over.  However,  as  is  the  case  in  many  other 
lines  of  human  activity,  prevention  is  better  than  cure.  Laying  workers 
never  develop  while  there  is  brood  in  the  hive.  So,  whenever  you  find  a 
nucleus  that  has  no  brood,  some  should  be  given  the  bees  at  once.  This 
puts  them  back  into  normal  condition,  and  they  will  accept  a  cell  and  no 
laying  workers  will  develop. 

To  resume  our  program,  let  us  consider  that  it  is  now  Monday,  the 
28th  of  the  month.  If  all  has  gone  well,  the  queens  reared  from  our  first 
grafting  will  be  ready  to  be  taken  out  from  the  nuclei.  The  cells  were  intro- 
duced on  the  15th.  The  queens  emerged  on  the  16th,  the  virgins  should 
mate  on  the  23rd  or  24th  and  begin  laying  on  the  2.5th  or  26th.  By  the 
28th  they  should  be  laying  enough  so  you  are  able  to  judge  as  to  whether 
or  not  they  have  all  the  appearances  oC  good  queens,  and  yet  they  have 
not  laid  enough  so  that  injury  will  result  on  account  of  their  removal  from 
Ihe  nuclei. 


CABE  OF  yUC LEI. —Chapter  XXI 1. 
Laying  Queens  and  How  Injured. 

These  queens  are  noAv  ready  for  sliiimient  or  to  he  introilueetl  to  colo- 
nies at  any  time  you  are  ready.  It  is  a  well-estahlished  fact  that,  when  a 
queen  laying  to  full  capacity  is  removed  from  the  colony  and  placed  in  a 
mailing  cage,  she  seldom  makes  good  at  the  head  of  a  colony  as  far  as  pro- 
lificness  is  concerned.  When  it  is  necessary  to  i-emove  a  queen  in  the  height 
of  her  egg-laying,  as  for  instance,  if  one  wishes  to  ship  a  hreeding  queen 
that  is  in  a  strong  colony,  it  is  best  to  place  her  in  a  nucleus  for  a  few 
days.  In  this  case  she  can  reduce  the  number  of  eggs  she  lays,  gradually 
becomes  much  smaller  in  size  and  therefore  she  can  stand  the  trip  better. 
If  the  queen  is  extra  laige  in  size  and  laying  to  full  cajiacity,  I  have  found 
a  splendid  "reducing  exercise"  as  follows:  Take  out  two  frames  of  brood 
with  bees  and  the  queen,  and  place  them,  in  a  nucleus  hive  on  a  new  stand. 
In  two  days'  time,  move  the  nucleus  to  a  new  location,  and  on  the  next 
day  move  it  again.  The  bees  that  fly  out  do  not  return.  The  nucleus  is 
thus  Aveakened  in  bees  and  is  not  getting  any  honey  or  pollen;  so  the  queen 
rapidly  curtails  egg-laying.  To  remove  her  when  she  is  laying  in  a  limited 
way  does  not  injure  the  queen  in  the  least,  for  this  is  in  perfect  hainiony 
with  bee  nature.  For  instance  in  the  case  of  a  swarm,  aftei-  t!ie  swarm 
has  gone  out,  a  few  eggs  will  be  found  which  the  (|ueen  laid  within  a 
very  shoi't  time  before  her  de]iarture  from  the  hive.  (Consequently,  if  you 
can  get  the  (|ueen  down  to  laying  only  a  few  eggs  before  removing  her 
from  the  luicleus,  sic  will  ii  )t  he  iiij  u'cd  in  t':e  least. 


MAILING  CAGES. 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 


All  features  of  (iiieen-reaiinu  are  fasi-inating;  bill  T  enjoy  looking  for 
laying  queens  more  than  any  other  feature  of  queen-rearing.  As  some  who 
read  this  are  interested  in  commercial  queen-rearing,  and  others  who  pro- 
duce honey  may  at  times  find  it  advisable  to  ship  queens  to  other  yards,  I 
shall  describe  the  process  of  mailing  queens. 

For  very  short  shipments  the  common  three-compartment  Benton  mail- 
ing cage  will  do.  However,  I  believe  even  in  short  shipments  the  use  of 
the  larger  cage  that  has  six  compartments  is  advisable.  This  cage  is  good 
for  any  shij)ment  in  the  United  States  and  Canada.  For  export,  I  prefer 
a  cage  nearly  s(]nare  with  nine  fOin]>aitiiionts,  each  of  the  same  diameter 


Queen  cages 


as  in  the  regular  Benton  cage.  These  compartments  should  be  about  one- 
half  deeper,  however.  The  secret  of  good  shipments  is  to  have  the  cage 
of  sufTicient  size  so  that  it  will  accommodate  plenty  of  nurse  bees  and  still 
leave  abundance  of  room  for  them.  There  should  be  space  for  every  bee 
to  have  a  footing  on  the  bottom  and  top  of  the  cage  and  still  leave  room 
enough  so  there  can  be  a  si^ace  all  around  the  bee  equal  to  its  own  size.  If 
the  bees  get  too  warm,  they  then  all  have  plenty  of  room  to  fan  and  thus 
keep  down  the  tenq>erature.  In  the  six-comi)artuient  cage,  when  the 
weather  is  hot,  I  fiml  that  about  tifteen  nuise  bees  give  tlie  best  lesult. 
If  the  weather  is  cool,  doiil)Ie  tliat  iuiml)er  is  satisfactory.     If  it  is  neces- 


MAILIXG  CAGES.— Chapter  XXIII. 

sary  to  ship  queens  when  the  weathei'  is  cold  or  where  the  route  is  througli 
a  cold  district,  as  for  instance,  going  over  the  mountains  in  early  spring  or 
fall,  the  use  of  the  export  cage  is  advisable.  IMore  bees  can  be  put  into 
the  six-compartment  size;  but,  in  case  the  bees  pass  through  a  warm  dis- 
trict, they  would  suffocate.  The  cage  should  be  large  enough  so  that  the 
bees  can  spread  out  when  it  is  hot,  and  yet  large  enough  to  hold  sufficient 
bees  so  they  may  form  a  cluster  in  one  or  two  compartments  to  keep  warm 
in  case  the  weatlier  turns  cold.  Such  a  cage  is  ideal  as  far  as  size  is 
concerned. 

Some  years,  the  shippers  of  queens  suffer  a  much  heavier  loss  than  in 
others.  In  the  main,  hot  weather  is  the  cause  although  the  blame  is  usually 
laid  on  the  queen  candy.  If  the  candy  is  made  hard  so  the  bees  Avill  not 
become  daubed,  it  will  give  perfect  results,  at  least  for  all  ordinary  ship- 
ments. Some  have  suggested  that  pure  sugar  candy  lacks  the  nitrogenous 
food  contained  in  j^ollen,  and  that  this  causes  the  loss  in  long  shipments. 
Pollen  could  not  be  used  in  candy,  as  it  would  cause  death  by  dysentery. 
Our  friend,  Allen  Latham,  queen-breeder  of  Norwichtown,  Conn.,  has  been 
experimenting  by  mixing  a  little  royal  jelly  with  the  candy  as  this  would 
furnish  the  nitrogen  and,  being  predigested,  would  cause  no  intestinal  dis- 
order. We  have  been  experimenting  with  it  also,  but  have  not  gone  far 
enough  at  this  writing  to  come  to  any  conclusion.  However,  Mr.  Latham's 
plan  looks  good. 

We  believe  the  principal  cause  of  loss  in  hot  weather  is  the  lack  of  ven- 
tilation. Imagine  a  queen  with  her  escorts,  in  a  mailing  cage  with  two  little 
slits  in  the  side  of  the  cage,  pacjked  in  a  mail  sack,  with  all  sorts  of  mail 
matter  crowded  all  around  the  cage,  and  then  perhaps  with  twenty-five  or 
fifty  more  sacks  piled  on  top  of  it  and  all  out  in  the  sun,  with  the  ther- 
mometer reading  one  hundred  in  the  shade.  The  wonder  is  that  any  survive. 
During  very  hot  weather  we  use  and  recommend  what  we  call  "the  hot- 
weather  cage."  It  is  the  regular  mailing  cage  with  a  heavy  fibre  cover  raised 
about  one-eighth  of  an  inch  with  wooden  cleats.  This  remedies  much  of 
the  hot-weather  troubles. 


.oatlipr  cages. 


QUEEN  CANDY. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


The  other  important  feature  in  the  perfect  shipment  of  queens  is 
tlie  food  during  transit.  Much  trouble  is  experienced  in  shijoping  queens 
with  candy  not  sufficiently  hard.  I  have  experimented  quite  extensively 
along  this  line  by  keeping  a  number  of  cages  containing  worker  bees  and 
different  kinds  of  food  in  the  attic,  the  basement  and  various  other  places 
under  all  sorts  of  conditions  and  temperature,  and  found  the  chances  of 
success  greatly  in  favor  of  the  harder  candies.  Not  realizing  how  decidedly 
candy  affects  the  bees,  many  make  the  mistake  of  using  candy  too  soft. 
Watch  the  bees  in  the  mailing  cage.  You  will  see  them  continually  rubbing 
their  sides  against  the  candj^  If  it  is  a  trifle  too  soft  they  gradually  get 
it  on  their  sides  and  into  their  breathing  tubes.  Then  they  fret,  which  makes 
a  bad  matter  worse,  and  they  die  from  worry  and  suffocation.  Upon  exami- 
nation the  dead  bees  do  not  appear  candy-daubed  at  all,  but  that  is  what 
really  caused  death. 

The  commonest  method  of  making  cage  candy  is  to  take  honey  or  in- 
vert sugar,  put  it  in  a  vessel,  set  it  on  the  stove  and  heat  to  a  temperature 
of  about  140  degrees.  Then  stir  in  as  much  powdered  sugar  as  possible, 
put  it  on  the  bread  board  and  knead  in  more  powdered  sugar  until  very,  very 
stiff.  You  cannot  get  in  too  much  sugar  or  knead  it  too  thoroughly.  An- 
other difficulty  is  encountered  in  the  use  of  this  sort  of  candy  made  with 
powdered  sugar.  As  is  commonly  known,  powdered  sugar  contains  from 
three  to  five  per  cent  starch  to  keep  it  from  becoming  lumpy  and  hard. 
This  does  not  make  the  best  grade  of  candy,  for  starch  causes  dysentery  to 
bees  in  long  shipments,  but  for  short  shipments  no  harm  is  done.  Pow- 
dered sugar  without  starch  may  be  obtained  by  special  order,  but  it  be- 
comes so  lumpy  after  a  few  days  that  fine,  smooth  candy  cannot  be  made 
with  it. 

However,  good  candy  can  be  made  with  either  the  sugar  containing 
this  small  amount  of  starch  or  the  pure  powdered  sugar.  The  pure  sugar 
is  to  be  preferred.  During  the  war  when  powdered  sugar  could  not  be  pro- 
duced we  made  a  fondant  out  of  granulated  sugar  that  gave  excellent  re- 
sults; but  it  is  a  vei-y  exacting  process  to  make  it,  so  that  we  abandoned  it. 
The  candy  that  we  consider  the  very  best,  however,  is  made  from  pure 
powdered  sugar  and  homemade  invert  sugar. 

As  to  the  use  of  honey  for  cage  candy,  it  is  generally  acknowledged 
that  American  foul  brood  has  been  si)read  in  this  manner.  Even  if  the 
present  Liavs  are  complied  with,  there  is  still  danger.  If,  for  instance,  the 
shipment  is  accompanied  with  a  certificate  of  health  from  an  apiary,  the 
candy  may  have  been  made  of  lioney  from  some  other  apiary,  disease  in- 
fected; or,  the  diseased  honey  may  iiave  been  jjroducod  some  time  before 
when  the  apiary  was  infected.  The  source  and  spread  of  bee  disease  ai'o 
so  mysterious  and  disastrous  that  wc  cannot  be  too  careful  of  contagion, 

75 


QUEEN  CANDY.— Chapter  XXIV. 

and,  while  llie  i»arty  usiiiji'  siic^li  diseased  honey  would  of  course  be  ignorant 
of  the  fact,  the  damaije  is  done  nevertheless.  Theret'oi-e  not  only  should 
the  bi'eedei-  he  ])articular  hut  the  i)urehaser  should  also  exercise  precaution 
and,  for  introducing'  the  queen,  he  should  never  use  the  cage  in  which  she 
is  shipped.  Let  him  always  transfer  the  queen  to  a  cage  of  his  own,  and 
burn  tlie  shipjung'  cage. 

As  to  boiled  honey,  it  is  about  the  worst  thing  which  can  be  used  in 
making  candy.  Bees  that  have  been  fed  on  it  for  only  one  day  fre- 
quently show  distended  abdomens,  indicating  they  will  soon  die  of  dys- 
entery. 

For  ordiniuy  ^shipments,  invert  sugni'  has  been  use<l  instead  of  lioney. 
This  may  be  inirchased  from  dealers  in  beekeepers'  supplies.  With  the 
l)rocess  of  making  the  very  best  grade  of  queen  cage  candy  without  the 
use  of  honey,  there  is  no  reason  why  honey  sliould  ever  be  used  in  making 
(jueen  candy  at  all,  even  for  extremely  difficult  shipments  as  is  the  case  in 
export  trade  or  in  veiy  hot  dry  weather.  It  has  been  considered  that  a 
fine  quality  of  white  honey  is  superior.  However,  the  chemist  tells  us 
that  honey  and  invert  sugar  are  the  same  as  far  as  the  i)rocess  of  drying 
out  is  concerned.  Now  we  know  that  commercial  invert  sugar  is  not  so 
thick  as  honey,  and  that  it  does  dry  out  more  than  honey.  Pure  water 
boils  at  a  temperature  of  212  degrees.  If  a  heavier  substance  such  as  sugar 
is  added,  it  requires  a  higher  temperature  to  bring  it  to  a  boil.  By  this 
test  one  can  easily  prove  that  the  commercial  invert  sugar  contains  more 
water  than  honey,  which  causes  the  candy  made  with  it  to  dry  out  sooner 
than  honey.  The  commercial  invert  sugar  boils  at  a  temperature  of  2\\r) 
degrees,  while  a  good  quality  of  honey  boils  at  a  temperature  of  245.  After 
this  fact  was  learned  some  invert  sugar  was  made  by  using  granulated 
sugar  and  tartaric  acid,  and  it  was  boiled  till  it  reached  a  temperature  of 
250  degrees,  which  is  five  degrees  above  the  boiling  point  of  honey.  This 
gave  a  very  thick,  heavy  syrup,  so  thick  that  it  had  to  be  warmed  before  it 
could  be  handled,  which  induced  me  to  do  some  investigation  along  this 
line.  The  result  of  these  experiments  led  me  to  make  my  own  invert  sugar, 
which  is  thicker  than  honey  and  therefore  is  sujierior  to  the  best  honey 
for  queen  candy.  As  Avas  exjiected,  candy  made  with  this  niid  powdei'cd 
sugar  does  not  dry  out  at  all,  no  matter  how  hot  and  dry  tlie  weather  is. 

Receipt  for  Making  Invert  Sugar. 


Put  oiip-'nlf  I'o-nd  of  watei/  in  a  kettle  and 
Ijlace  over  the  fire  until  it  comes  to  a  boil. 
Then  add  one  pound  of  granulated  sugar,  either 
beet  or  cane  sugar,  they  being  exactly  alike.  To 
this  add  aboMt  ten  grains  of  tartai'ic  acid.  As 
few  will  have  pharmacists'  scales  to  weigli  the 
acid,  you  can  use  about  one-eightii  of  a  tea- 
spoonful  or  a  suiall  amount  on  tlie  til)  of  a 
table  knife,  i  f  ti'oiiblc  is  experienced  in  getting 
the  right  ainonut,  an  (Miii)ty  22-short  rille  car- 
tridge may  be  used  as  a  measui'e.  One  ol'  these 
holds  2V'  grains,  therefore  four  of  these  level- 


QVEEK  C  Ay  I  )Y.— Chapter  XXIV 


iiill  wil!  luinish  tlie  ri-lit  amount.  A  little  more  or  less  will  do  no  hanii. 
Put  in  the  acid  and  allow  the  syrup  to  boil  slowly  without  stirrintj'  until  a 
temperature  of  250°  is  reached.  Then  pour  it  into  a  lAfason  jar.  The  caji 
should  be  kei)t  on  the  jai-  as  tliis  syrup,  being  so  thick,  will  absorb  mois- 
ture if  left  exposed  to  the  air. 

Making  the  Candy. 

Take  the  bread  boai-d 
and  cover  it  with  pow- 
dered sugar  two  or  three 
inches  deep.  Warm  the 
invert  sugar  slightly,  not 
above  120°,  so  the  dough 
will  work  up  easily. 
Pour  a  little  invert  syrup 
on  the  sugar  and  cover  it 
with  more  sugar.  Then 
work  the  dough  up  into 
a  ball  and  knead  the 
dough  until  it  is  so  stiff 
one  can  scarcely  pinch 
off  a  bit  between  tlie 
thumb  and  the  finger.  In 
fact,  I  have  never  been 
able  to  make  this  candy 
too  stiff.  Considerable 
kneading  is  required  to 
get  it  just  right.  If  the" 
air  is  moist  the  candy 
becomes     sticky,     and 

more  sugar  should  be  worked  into  it  before  provisioning  the  cages.  This 
candy  will  keep  indefinitely.  One  winter  we  placed  some  above  the  hot-air 
register  of  the  furnace,  and  in  the  spring  it  was  still  soft  and  the  bees  ate 
it  readily.  If  worked  long  enough  it  will  become  quite  dry,  more  like  bread, 
but  will  not  become  hard.  In  that  condition  it  will  not  gather  moisture 
and  will  not  run.  As  pure  powdered  sugar  will  become  lumpy  if  kept  on 
hand  too  long,  it  is  advisable  to  order  twenty-five  or  fifty  pounds  and  make 
it  all  up  at  once.  When  first  made,  if  the  weather  is  dami),  it  is  well  to 
keep  the  top  covered  w'ith  a  little  dry  powdered  sugar. 


liit  between  tlie  tliuiiil)  and  finge 


CAGING  QUEENS. 


( "IIAPTER  XXV. 


It  is  quite  unnecessary  to  say  anytliing  about  putting-  the  queen  candy 
into  the  compartments  other  than  some  suggestion  as  to  the  amount  re- 
quired. For  shipments  anj^vhere  in  the  United  States  or  Canada,  one  com- 
partment full  of  candy  is  plenty  if  twenty-five  or  thirty  bees  are  put  into 
the  cage.  If  fifty  or  more  are  jjlaced  in  the  cage  or  if  the  shipment  is  two 
thousand  miles  or  over,  two  compartments  should  be  filled.  For  export,  it 
is  well  to  fill  three  of  the  compartments  in  the  export  cage. 

After  provisioning,  the  perforated  tin  that  covers  the  hole  in  the 
cage  should  be  swung  around  the  tack  placed  in  it  so  that  it  may  be  easily 
removed  with  the  fingers.  Having  the  cages  provisioned,  place  them  in  the 
hive-seat  on  the  left  side.  Open  the  nucleus  hive  and  give  the  bees  a  very 
light  puff  of  smoke  from  the  smoker.  Lift  out  the  frame  and  find  the 
queen.  Pick  her  up  with  the  right  hand  by  taking  the  two  wings  be- 
tween the  finger  and  the  thumb.  With  the  left  hand  put  the  brood-frame 
a  short  distance  down  into  the  nucleus  hive  and  tilt  it  over  away  from  you 
so  it  will  remain  there.  This  makes  it  very  convenient  to  pick  up  the  nurse 
bees.     Take  up  the  mailing  cage  with  the  left  hand  and  put  the  queen  into 

the  cage,  closing  the 
hole  with  the  fore- 
finger of  the  left 
hand.  Then  ])vo- 
ceed  to  pick  up 
worker  bees  by  the 
wings  and  poke 
them  into  the  cage, 
head  first,  closing 
tlie  liole  in  the  cage 
after  each  bee  with 
tlie  finger  as  before. 
"When  one  gets  ac- 
customed to  it,  he 
can  fill  a  cage  in 
half  a  minute.  Once 
in  a  while  the  bee- 
l<eeper  will  get  hold 
of  a  balky  bee  that 
insists  on  bracing 
with  its  front  feet 
and  refuses  to  go 
in.  When  the  pres- 

This  makes  it  very  convenient  to  pick  up  the  nurse  bees.         SUre    IS    brought    tO 

78 


C AGING  QUEF.SS.—CHAVTEU  XXV. 

bear  with  the  finger,  the  bee  runs  out  its  stint;-,  with  tlie  result  Hint  in  time 
that  finger  beeonies  somewhat  callous.  A  tliiml)le  might  Ite  usc.l  on  the 
left  forefinger,  but  this  is  awkward  and  unsi»oitsmaidil<('. 

The  Question  of  Cataleptic  Queens. 

In  handling-  queens,  many  beekeepers  have  observed  that  once  in  a 
great  while  a  queen  suddenly  becomes  unconscious  and  sometimes  dies.  The 
reason  assigned  is  that  she  took  a  cramp  or  had  a  cataleptic  fit. 

The  author  has  observed  this  for  the  past  twenty  years.  Some  seasons 
it  -would  occur  but  once ;  during  others  half  a  dozen  times  or  more.  In  my 
mind  there  had  always  been  some  doubts  whether  or  not  the  queen  was  cata- 
leptic. One  season,  the  loss  was  heavier  than  usual.  One  day  two  were 
lost.  I  say  "lost"  as  the  queens  were  always  discarded  after  having  a 
"fit,"  for  previous  experience  had  made  me  believe  that  they  were  perma- 
nently injured  by  having  these  "spells." 

The  day  the  two  queens  were  lost,  I  observed  how  very  similar  was 
the  action  of  the  injured  queen  to  one  that  had  been  stung  by  another 
queen.  There  was  a  sudden  collapse,  then  a  slight  quivering  of  the  legs. 
In  one  case  this  lasted  for  over  half  an  hour,  when  the  queen  slowly  re- 
vived. In  the  other  case,  the  queen  quivered  for  about  the  same  length  of 
time  and  then  died.  It  seemed  certain  to  me  that  in  some  mysterious  man- 
ner these  queens  were  getting  poison  from  a  sting.  Could  it  be  that  the 
poison  on  my  fingers  from  worker-stings  was  causing  the  mischief?  In- 
vestigation failed  to  substantiate  this.  I  noticed  that  in  one  case  the 
queen  had  taken  hold  of  the  tip  of  her  abdomen  with  a  front  foot,  which 
might  indicate  that  she  had  received  a  slight  prick  in  the  foot  from  her 
own  sting.  I  therefore  watched  carefully  and  soon  this  belief  was  eon- 
firmed.  The  queen  in  taking  hold  of  the  tip  of  her  abdomen  exposed  the 
sting.  Then,  in  trying  to  get  hold  with  the  rest  of  her  feet,  she  would 
strike  right  at  the  point  of  the  sting.  In  this  manner  she  undoubtedly  re- 
ceived some  of  the  poison.  Since  that  time  we  have  taken  great  care  that 
a  queen  is  not  allowed  to  take  hold  of  the  tip  of  her  abdomen,  consequently 
no  more  queens  have  been  atflieted  with  fainting-  spells. 


CLIPPING  QUEENS'  WINGS. 


CHAPTER  XXV! 


'I'lu'ie  is  consiik'rahk'  (■t)ntr()vei'sy  on  iis  lo  whether  it  injuies  a  queen 
to  clip  her  \viny;s.  This  controversy  has  been  on  ever  since  the  i^aetiee  of 
olii)i)ing'  was  started.  Some  claim  it  injures  the  queen,  and  some  as  stoutly 
maintain  it  does  not.  My  experience  leads  me  to  agree  with  both  factions. 
The  following  article,  written  by  me  and  published  in  "Gleanings/'  tells  of 
my  first  attemiDt  at  clipping-  a  queen. 


AX  AMUSING  AXD  YKT  NOT  UNCOMMOX   EXPERIEXCE  OF  BEGIXXERS. 

The  first  colony  of  bees  I  got  was  in  a  ten-frame  homemade  hive,  which  I 
kept  standing  in  the  back  yard  the  first  year,  not  daring  to  go  near  it.  In 
the  fall,  I  went  out  one  niglit  and  peeped  under  the  cover,  and  was  surprised 
to  see  that  there  Avas  no  honey.  I  supposed  all  a  fellow  had  to  do  to  "get 
lioney  was  to  get  some  bees  and  they  would  do  the  rest.  Nothing  succeeds 
like  success,  so  tliey  say.  Not  so  liere.  Nothing  makes  me  succeed  like  a 
failure,  so  I  determined  that  next  year  tliose  bees  should  make  some  liouey 
or  furnish  a  reasonable  excuse. 

I  subsi-ribed  for  Oleanings  and  got  the  ABC.  Then  the  bee  fever  took 
hold  of  Die  ill   earnest.      I    studied  the  book  night  and   day.     I  knew  it  all 

by    heart.    T      got    the    "Facts 
^^^^^^^^:^:r:r^r:^rT^^^^^^r:rTrrrr^:rrr:^         About  Bees, ' '   and  learned  it 

till  I  could  recite  it  as  easily  as 
a  minister  can  quote  scripture. 
The  .'Ugument  in  it  was  good. 
Everything  in  it  was  all  work- 
ed out.  How  grateful  I  felt 
that  everything  had  been 
learned  for  me,  and  all  I  had 
to  do  was  to  reap  the  benefits! 
I  tried  hard  to  be  unassuming, 
but  inwardly  1  could  not  help 


fynotto  \%clipa(!um 


feeling  pnnni   tl 
1  .lid  all  tl 


it    I   knew 
itudi 


about 
•:  and 


longed  for  siu-ing  to  come 
that  I  might  denionstrate  what  1  already  knew!  IIow  that  winter  persisted 
in  staying  with  us,  and  how  reluctantly  did  spring  show  her  shining  face! 
But  at  last,  in  the  latter  part  of  Marcli,  there  came  a  beautiful,  bright 
warm  day — .just  the  time  for  clipping  the  cpieen!  I  liad  never  seen  a  queen, 
and  my  anxiety  to  view  her  majesty  was  something  fierce.  I  had  an  as- 
sistant cover  me  with  mosquito  bar.  1  put  on  mittens  and  wrapped  my  wrists 
with  rags.    Tiien  I  fired  up  the  smoker  and  prepared  to  go  into  action. 

How  I  dreaded  opening  that  hive!  I  felt  a  little  pale,  but  my  teeth  were 
set  and  it  was  do  or  die.  1  was  too  big  a  coward  to  retreat  Avhile  every 
one  was  watching.  I  must  have  been  an  awe-inspiring  sight  to  those  bees  as 
I  swooped  down  upon  them,  dressed  in  armor,  with  the  smoker  spitting 
smoke  and  fire.  I  soon  envel()i)cd  the  hive  in  smoke,  gave  it  a  few  jolts  and 
tore  off  the  cover,  then  snu)ked  again.  Of  course,  the  bees  cowed  before  such 
a  vicious  onslaught.  Now,  the  books  said,  "Catch  the  queen  and  clip  her." 
Clipping  was  the  primary  object  of  the  expedition;  but  I  saw  wliere  the 
books  were  right  in  saying  "Catch  the  queen"  before  saying  "and  clip 
her."  The  oiilv  change  in  the  wording  of  that  I  would  make  would  be 
to  precede  that  with  "tiiid  the  queen."     I  took  out  the  frames  carefully,  and 


CLITPISa    QIFJ'.SS-    \\lX(;s.~Ch„i>lrr    \X\f. 


this   must 
Solomon ; 


bo  the 
but  she 


[[ueei 
\v;is 


Th 


like  t 


stood  them  around  tlie  liive  in 
various  places;  but  eould  not 
"eateh  the  queen."  I  looked  and 
looked.  There  were  more  bees  in 
that  hive  than  I  had  expected  to 
see  in  ten  hives.  The  separation 
of  a  mixture  of  the  proverbial 
haystack  and  needle  would  have 
been  a  cinch  compared  with  the 
task  in  hand.  1  hunted  all  the 
afternoon,  and  had  to  give  it  u]i 
on  account  of  darkness.  1  Avas 
disgusted  but  not  discouraged. 
This  problem  confronted  me,  "If 
I  fail  to  find  one  queen  in  half 
a  day,  how  long  will  it  take  to 
find  several  thousand  queensV" 
(the  number  I  expected  to  liave 
in    a   year  or  two). 

Nothing  succeeds  like  a  fail- 
ure, and  the  next  day  I  went 
after  them  with  more  zeal  than 
ever.  On  lifting  out  the  third 
frame  my  eyes  rested  on  a  bee 
the  like  of  which  I  had  never 
seen  before.  It  Avas  a  long  bee, 
and  she  walked  with  a  more  ma- 
jestic tread  over  the  comb,  and 
did  not  seem  to  be  in  such  a  rusli 
as  the  rest  of  the  bees.  She  was 
of  a  dark-brown  color,  and  how 
handsome      she      looked!      Verily 

Sheba   might   have   looked   jjood   to 

iiis  one. 


The  next  thing,  "Catch  the  ([ueen.  "  1  tried  to  make  the  catch,  but  she 
was  not  so  easy.  Just  as  1  would  close  my  fingers  on  her  she  was  not  there.  At 
last  T  got  hold  of  one   wing,  but   slic   hu/.zed   around    so   that    1    let    her   droji. 


.jir,^^;^,-^^^. 

ST 

iR 

k 

^'fC 

|^^?1"^' 

^^^^^Jmb^- 

it^ 

If  aho\it   nne-tliird  of  tlio  \vii>i;s   is  rliiiiiHrt   off  n<i  linrm   <-nn   iiossibly   coiiif  of 
SI 


CLIPPING  QVEKNS'  WINGS.— Chapter  XXVI. 


Pick    her   up    by    the    wings. 

bent  over,  but  would  not  cut.  1  tried 
the  wings  apart  or  pulled  them  off. 
But  I  got  them  off,  and  a  leg  with 
til  em.  A  little  later  I  thought  I  would 
"shook"  the  bees  into  a  new  Danzen- 
baker  hive,  and  I  was  astonished  to 
find  that  they  had  a  new  yellow  queen 
witli  wings  of  the  regulation  length 
and  a  full  quota  of  legs. 

In  the  ctise  described  it  undoubted- 
ly was  injurious  to  the  queen  to  have 
her  wings  "cropped"  as  one  corre- 
spondent puts  it.  However,  if  care  is 
taken  and  the  clipping  done  properlj' 
it  can  be  no  more  injurious  to  a  queen 
to  have  her  wings  clipped  than  it 
would  be  in  case  the  wing  of  a  hen  is  i^eiujiiK 

clipped  to  keep  licr  from  flying  over  the  fence  and 
l)ed — it  all  dejiends  on  how  it  is  don 


Again  I  got  her  by  the  wings  and 
tried  to  transfer  to  the  left  hand,  but 
lier  liead  did  not  stick  out  far  enougli 
for  me  to  get  a  good  liold,  and  she 
backed  out  and  got  away.  Next  time 
T  shut  down  so  hard  that  I  was  afraid 
I  would  kill  her,  and  then  let  up  so 
that  she  got  away  again.  This  time 
she  dropped  in  the  grass,  and  I  had  a 
time  to  find  her.  The  fourth  time  I 
lield  her  between  my  left  tliunib  aiul 
finger  in  a  trembly  fashion,  much  as  a 
dog  bites  a  rat,  and  probably  the  sen- 
sations to  tlie  rat  and  (]ueen  were  simi- 
lar. 

I  then  got  tlie  shears.  I  forget  whetli- 
er  they  were  a  large  pair  of  tailors' 
•slioars  or  the  kind  they  use  for  shear- 
ing sheep.  In  my  enthusiasm  I  had 
used  them  in  prying  frames  apart, 
and  they  were  more  or  less  gummed 
up  with  propolis.  I  slid  them  under 
the  wings  and  I  shut  down.  The  wiiigs 
11   and  again  until  I  eitliev  wmi' 


etting  into  the  lettuce 
.  If  the  wings  are  clipped  too  short, 
injury  may  result.  In  such  a  case 
nerves  and  arteries  may  be  severed.  If 
about  one-third  of  the  wings  is  clip- 
ped off,  no  harm  can  possibly  come 
of  it.  This  bears  out  in  practice,  for 
in  thousands  of  queens  clipped  in 
that  manner,  I  never  knew  of  one  in- 
jured. The  bees  treat  such  queens  in 
exactly  the  same  way  as  though  they 
had  their  entire  wings  and  do  not  su- 
persede them  any  sooner  than  the 
others. 

In    clipi:»ing    queens'    wings    some 
])refer  to  hold  lior  majesty  by  the  legs, 


CLIPPING  QUEENS'  WINGS.— Chapter  XXVI. 

while  some  prefer  to  hold  her  thorax  between  the  finger  and  the  tliumb  of 
the  left  hand.  After  trying  both  I  prefer  the  latter  niethotl.  To  clip  a 
queen,  first  pick  her  up  by  the  wings  with  the  forefinger  and  thumb  of  the 
right  hand.  Then  pass  her  to  the  left  hand,  placing  the  thumb  on  the 
upper  side  of  the  thorax  and  the  forefinger  on  the  lower  side.  In  this 
position  her  abdomen  forms  a  curve  over  the  end  of  the  finger,  leaving  the 
wings  projecting  in  such  a  manner  that  they  may  be  easily  clipped.  Then 
pass  a  blade  of  the  scissors  under  the  wings  and  clip  off  about  one- third  of 
the  length.  If  preferred  the  wings  on  one  side  only  may  be  clipped.  It  is 
not  necessary  to  clip  off  much  of  the  wings  in  order  to  prevent  the  queen 
from  flying,  as  a  laying  queen  has  all  she  can  do  to  fly  when  she  has  all 
of  her  wings  in  good  order.  The  queen  must  never  be  clipped  before  she 
begins  to  lay,  for  of  course,  since  she  mates  with  the  drone  on  the  wing, 
she  could  not  mate  if  her  wings  are  clipped.  As  she  never  mates  after  she 
begins  to  lay,  no  harm  is  done  by  clipping  her  wings  as  described  after  eggs 
are  laid.  The  wings  of  the  queen  do  not  grow  out  again  after  clipping,  so 
one  operation  is  sufficient  for  her  lifetime. 

Lest  the  beginner  might  not  thoroughly  understand  the  significance  of 
the  above,  let  it  be  understood  that  a  queen  must  under  no  circumstance  be 
clipped  before  she  begins  to  lay,  for  it  cannot  be  definitely  ascertained  that 
she  has  mated  and  fertilized  until  she  begins  to  lay.  As  the  queen  mates 
only  upon  the  wing,  it  can  be  understood  that  if  her  wings  were  clipped 
she  could  not  fly  and  therefore  could  not  be  fertilized.  There  are  frequent 
eases  where  the  amateur  catches  a  swarm,  and,  if  the  queen  is  found,  she  is 
clipped  to  keep  the  swarm  from  absconding.  One  should  be  careful  in 
such  eases  to  be  sure  that  the  queen  he  clips  is  a  laying  queen,  for,  if  the 
swarm  should  be  an  after-swarm  with  a  virgin  queen,  clipping  would  ren- 
der her  incapable  of  mating.  In  such  a  case  if  the  swarm  were  not  given 
another  queen,  it  would  be  lost.  In  some  Qases  the  virgin  would  become  a 
drone-layer  and  in  others  she  would  be  killed  by  the  bees  who  seem  to 
think  it  was  the  queen's  fault  in  not  going  out  and  mating.  After  the 
queen  is  killed  by  the  bees,  the  colony  soon  runs  to  laying  workers  and  is 
worthless. 


INTRODUCING  QUEENS. 


CHAPTER  XXVI I. 


Xenrly  tliiity-five  years  aj>o,  Mr.  G.  M.  Doolittle  wrote,  '*l'erliai)S  (lieie 
is  no  one  sul)ject  eonneeted  with  beekeepinji'  that  has  received  so  nmch  no- 
tice in  our  bee  pa])ers  and  elsewhere  as  has  the  introduction  of  queens." 
We  find  the  condition  in  this  respect  very  nuich  the  same  today.  Methods 
come  and  flourish  for  a  time,  and  then  (juietly  vanish.  Many  of  these  so- 
called  "new  methods"  wei'e  used  and  discarded  before  any  of  us  were 
born.  I  have  been  s;uilty  of  making'  some  startlinii  discoveries,  only  to  find 
that  they  had  been  known  many  years  ago  and  discaided  because  they  weie 
of  no  account.  Other  interesting-  facts  T  have  come  upon,  only  to  realize 
after  a  certain  period  of  time  that  they  were  advocated  by  others  yeai-s  ago. 
For  instance,  I  proved  to  my  own  satisfaction  that  the  i)resence  of  queen- 
cells  in  a  hive  has  little  or  no  effect  upon  the  bees'  accepting  a  queer!, 
l)rovide(l  no  viigins  emerged  before  the  queen  was  laying.  This  is 
contrary  to  the  general  belief  and  1  thought  I  stood  alone  in  this,  yet  Mr. 
Doolittle  says  the  same  thing  in  "Scientific  Queen  Rearing."  Lately  the 
"Honey  Method"  of  introducing  queens  has  come  forward  and  was  thought 
by  many  to  be  something  new,  but  Mr.  Doolittle  also  desci'ibes  that.  Yes, 
and  it  is  just  as  unieliable  today  as  it  was  forty  years  ago.  One  year  1 
used  tobacco  stems  in  my  smoker  to  introduce  queens,  closing  the  entrance 
until  the  bees  came  out  of  their  debauch.  T  thought  I  had  something  good 
as  well  as  new,  but  we  find  that  Alley  used  it  many  years  ago.  1  think  it  is 
the  best  of  any  "smoke  methods,"  but  it  is  poor  enough  at  that.  We  can 
all  avoid  traveling  in  a  ciicle  in  (his  nuinner  if  we  will  only  lead  all  of  the 
older  publications  in  beekeeping.  The  old  "masters"  can  teach  us  much. 
Many  times  we  can  find  the  very  thing  we  are  getting  ready  to  "invent" 
and  also  the  reason  why  it  is  "no  good.''  All  kinds  of  torture  have  been 
inflicted  upon  the  innocent  queen  and  bees  during  queen  introiluction.  Tlicrc 
are  the  "Starvation  Method,"  the  "Drowning  Method,"  the  "Honey  Daub 
Method,"  "Peppermint,"  numerous  "Smoke  methods,"  "Chloroform,"  "Car- 
bolic Acid,"  etc.  Yes,  and  away  back  in  1744  the  Knglish  had  the  "Puff 
Ball  Method."  When  one  of  these  balls  was  "puffed"  al  the  bees,  tliey  be- 
came unconscious.  Dr.  Phillij)s  tells  me  that  tlicy  claiiiK'd  it  made  the 
bees  "forget,"  and  when  they  came  out  of  it  they  had  forgotten  all  aljout 
the  queen  (juestion  and  couldn't  remember  whether  the  queen  they  then 
]iossessed  was  the  one  they  always  had  or  not.  Xo  doid)t  many  of  tlic 
qneens  introduced  in  that  uiauiicr  also  foniot  to  hiy.  and  many  wduld 
"forget"  to  live. 

All  of  the  above  "heroic"  uielhods  lemind  me  of  tiic  w;iv  the  students 
of  Anthi-opology  tell  us  the  cave  man  who  lived  a  few  hundred  tliousand 
years  ago  got  his  wife.  Xow  the  cave  man  was  not  at  all  sentimentM  in 
his  make-u))  but  rather  intensely  i)ractical  and  conducted   his  business  af- 


IXmODFCTXa  QCKEXS.— chapter  XXMI. 

Fairs  in  a  tlrastii-  inanuer.  lie  did  not  believe  in  all  this  serenadinji"  by 
moonlight,  neither  did  he  ever  buy  :50t'  gasoline  to  take  his  prosi)ec'tive  bi-ide 
joy-riding-  in  his  flivver,  and  he  had  no  use  for  this  swinging-on-the-gate 
^tuiT.  Not  he  I  When  he  wanteil  another  wife  to  add  to  his  heterogeneous 
eoUeetion,  or  if  one  was  getting'  old  and  he  thought  she  needed  super- 
seding:, he  picked  up  his  club  and  went  after  another  wife.  As  the  peoi)le 
in  those  days  were  vegetaiians,  he  knew  where  to  look  for  one;  so  about 
supper  time  he  would  find  her  out  in  the  alfalfa  or  sweet  clover  jiateh  en- 
joying: the  evening-  meal.  He  walked  up  behind  her,  swatted  her  over  the 
head  with  his  club,  and  cairied  her  back  to  his  cave  where  slie  became  his 
dutiful  and  obedient  wife. 

Xow,  he  got  a  wife  sure  enough  and  maybe  it  is  a  matter  of  sentiment, 
but  don't  you  know  I  like  the  way  we  do  it  nowadays  much  the  better !  So 
likewise  I  like  more  sentimental  methods  of  introducing-  queens.  If  the 
heroic  methods  just  mentioned  were  sure  in  their  results,  we  might  over- 
look the  rough  treatment;  but  they  are  not.  There  is  no  method  that  will 
permit  the  taking  away  of  a  queen  and  immediately  releasing  another  in 
the  colony  with  anything-  like  certainty,  for  it  is  entirely  against  bee  nature 
and  you  cannot  change  bee  nature.  Let  us  try  to  understand  and  work  in 
harmony  with  it.     I  am  sure  better  results  can  be  obtained. 

Loss  in  Introducing  with  the  Mailing  Cages. 

Probably  the  method  used  today  in  the  majority  of  cases  is  that  of 
introducing  the  queen  in  the  same  cage  in  which  she  was  shipped  through 
the  mail.  The  loss  of  queens  by  this  method  has  been  frig:htful.  ^len 
who  have  had  many  years*  experience  as  inspectors  and  are  in  position  to 
know,  have  told  me  that  they  believe  oO  per  cent  of  queens  aie  lost  in  this 
manner.  An  expert  honey  producer  in  California  told  me  that  he  had 
kept  track  of  his  loss,  and  found  it  to  be  one  out  of  three  in  the  introduc- 
tion of  all  queens  he  bought  through  the  mail.  Various  reports  have  come 
to  me  where  six  queens  out  of  twelve  are  lost  by  using  the  conuuon  mailing 
cage  as  an  introducing  cage.*  Now  if  the  bees  would  kill  the  queens  out- 
I'ight  the  damage  would  not  be  so  great,  but  frecjuently  the  queens  are  in- 
jured so  they  never  make  good ;  yet  they  remain  at  the  head  of  the  colony, 
possibly  a  year  or  more,  losing-  for  the  beekeeper  the  surplus  that  colony 
would  have  made  had  the  (|ueen  been  i)roperly  accepted. 

It  has  often  been  a  wonder  to  me  how  the  beekeepers  have  been  con- 
tent with  this  heavy  loss.  Tf  a  stockumn  in  buying  cattle  lost  fifty  per  cent 
or  even  five  i)er  cent  by  having  the  cattle  fight  when  he  united  the  herd,  he 
would  look  for  better  methods.  The  loss  to  the  beekeeiier  is  not  so  nuich 
in  one  lump,  but  the  i)ercentage  is  the  same  whether  it  is  cattle  or  bees.  In 
(his  connection  we  are  reminded  of  the  .story  told  of  a  man  who,  in  telling  his 
friends  how  to  teach  their  boys  to  swim,  said :  "All  that  is  necessaiy  to  t«icli 
a  boy  to  swim  is  just  to  catch  the  kid  and  pitt-li  him  right  into  the  deep 

*  My  friend.  M.  T.  Pritchard.  one  of  the  best  iiueenbreeders  in  the  country,  says 
the  mailing  cage  is  quite  reliable  for  introducing  provided  the  queen  is  kept  c-aged  4S 
hours  before  the  bees  get  at  the  candy  to  release  her.  He  says  if  this  precaulion  is 
observed  the  loss  will  be  negligible.  He  recommends  plugging  the  candy  hole  with  a 
ping  of  beeswax  for  two.  and  in  some  hard  cases,  four  days,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
Ihe  plug  is  removed  and   fresh   candy  |>nl   in. 


INTRODUCING  QUEENS.— Chapter  XXVII. 

water.  He  will  swim  all  right,  for  he  has  to.  I  know  that  method  works, 
for  I  taught  my  eight  boys  to  swim  in  just  that  very  way,  and  I  lost  only 
one  out  of  the  eight!" 

However,  if  this  method  of  queen  introduction  must  be  used,  the  best 
way,  in  our  opinion,  to  use  this  cage  is  to  remove  the  queen  from  the  colony 
to  be  requeened,  take  out  a  frame  and  set  it  away  in  the  honey-house, 
spread  the  brood-frames  apart,  place  the  cage  between  the  frames  with  the 
wire  screen  downward,  and  press  the  combs  tightly  against  the  cage  to 
hold  it  in  position.  In  this  manner  the  bees  cluster  on  the  wire  and  get  ac- 
quainted with  the  queen.  It  is  well  to  tack  a  piece  of  tin  over  the  candy 
for  a  day  so  the  bees  cannot  release  her  too  soon.  When  there  is  a 
honey  flow  on,  this  method  will  be  successful,  probably  in  four  cases  out  of 
five.  However,  I  believe  this  is  the  most  unreliable  method  of  any  that  I 
shall  describe. 

The  Doolittle  Cage. 

The  Doolittle  cage  is  better.  To  make  this,  saw  off  two  pieces  from 
a  broom  handle,  one  five  or  six  inches  long  and  the  other  piece  one  inch 
long,  for  the  ends  of  the  cage.  Then  construct  a  cylinder  of  wire-screen 
cloth  the  size  of  a  broom  handle  to  fit  between  the  ends.  The  wire  screen 
is  tacked  permanently  to  the  short  piece.  A  hole  about  three-eighths  of  an 
inch  in  diameter,  to  be  filled  with  candy  for  introducing,  is  bored  through 
the  long  piece,  which  is  withdrawn  from  the  wire  cylinder  in  order  to  put 
the  queen  into  the  cage.  To  introduce  a  queen,  she  is  first  transferred 
from  the  mailing  cage  to  this  one.  A  frame  of  honey  is  taken  o;it  to  make 
room  and  the  cage  placed  down  between  the  brood-frames,  which  are 
pressed  together  to  hold  it  in  place. 


mI 

I 

&iW 

1 

ii 

1 

Ha 

k 

The  Doolittle  cage  and  two  forms  of  tlir-  Mi 


lyTHODUCIXG  QUEENS. —Chapter  XXVII. 

The  Miller  Cage. 

Dr.  r.  C.  Miller  eonstruc-tetl  a  cage  similar  in  principle  to  the  Doo- 
little;  but  he  made  his  flat,  using  two  wooden  cleats  so  that  he  could  shove 
it  into  the  entrance  or  place  it  between  frames  without  removing  a  comb  to 
make  room  for  it.  A  modification  of  this  cage  is  shown  with  the  queen- 
excluding  attiichment.  Either  of  these  gives  some  better  results  than  the 
mailing  cage,  but  still  there  is  considerable  loss  when  conditions  are  not  just 
right.  ]Many  of  the  Doolittle  and  the  Miller  cages  are  in  use  throughout 
the  country.  Some  jirefer  one,  some  the  other.  With  their  use,  the  mailing 
cage  is  discarded,  thus  ju-eventing  the  possible  spread  of  American  foul 
brood,  as  this  disease  has  been  scattered  far  and  wide  through  diseased 
honey  in  the  mailing  cage. 

The  Push-in-the-Comb  Cage. 

Eealizing  the  shoi'toomings  of  the  above  methods  and  reviewing  the 
methods  used  in  introducing  queens,  there  seemed  to  be  one  style  of  cage 
that  gave  nearly  perfect  results,  and  that  is  the  cage  known  as  the  "Push- 
in-the-comb  cage."  Mr.  Doolittle  used  this  cage  and  stated  that  not  one 
queen  in  a  hundred  was  balled  when  it  was  used.  To  make  this  cage,  take 
a  piece  of  wire-screen  cloth  about  six  inches  square  and  cut  a  notch  out  of 
each  comer,  so  that  when  the  edges  are  bent  down  it  will  form  a  bee-tight 
cage  with  one  side  open.  The  queen  is  placed  on  the  comb,  the  cage  is  put 
over  her  and  pushed  down  into  the  comb.  In  two  days  the  bees  usually  bur- 
row under  the  cage  and  release  the  queen.  If  she  is  not  out  by  that  time, 
the  cage  is  taken  out  and  the  queen  released.  This  cage  gives  much  better 
results  than  any  of  the  others  described,  but  it  has  some  undesirable  fea- 
tures. Sometimes  it  comes  out  of  the  comb  or  the  bees  gnaw  away  the  comb, 
release  the  queen  prematurely,  ball  and  kill  her.  Moreover,  since  there  is 
no  convenient  way  of  getting  the  queen  into  this  cage,  some  are  lost. 

Our  Introducing  Cage. 

Realizing  the  heavy  loss  in  queens,  I  have  been  experimenting  for  a 
number  of  years  to  perfect  a  cage  that  is  sure  in  its  working  by  using  the 
principle  of  the  Push-in-the-comb  cage,  and  overcoming  the  objectionable 
features.     I  believe  I  have  succeeded. 


Known  as  the  Push-iii-tlie-comli  c.if 
87 


J.\  rUODrCiyO  QUKEXS.— chapter  XXV 11. 


Smith     Introduci 


(age. 


(^iir  ca^e  is  made  of  lialf-incli 
material  in  a  rectansiiilar  form. 
On  the  inside  of  tiie  frame  is 
nailed  a  strip  of  heavy  tin  so 
cut  as  to  foini  i)ointe<l  teeth. 
AVire  screen  is  tacked  on  the 
top.  Two  holes  are  Ixired 
throu^^h  the  frame,  one  in  the 
end  and  the  other  in  the  side. 
Corks  tit  snugly  into  these 
holes.  On  the  inside  of  one 
hole  is  a  piece  of  queen-exdud- 
in,*;  zinc,  while  the  other  hole  is  used  to  admit  the  queen. 

To  introduce  a  new  queen  go  to  the  colony  to  be  re(|ueened  and  remove 
the  (|U('('ii.  Select  an  old  comb  that  has  had  many  broods  reared  in  it.  In 
.<iicli  a  comb  the  midrib  is  tough,  for  it  is  covered  with  old  cocoons.  If  the 
colony  to  be  requeened  does  not  contain 
such  a  comb,  get  one  from  another  hive. 
This  old  comb  is  important.  Stick  the  cage 
into  the  comb,  place  it  between  the  knees 
and  press  it  in  tightly.  Xow  take  the  cage 
containing  the  (|ueen  ami  allow  her  to  run 
up  into  the  introducing  cage.  See  that  both 
corks  are  in  place  and  set  the  comb  back 
into  the  hive.  It  will  be  necessary  to  re- 
move a  comb  of  honey  to  make  room  for 
the  cage.  In  two  days  remove  the  excluder 
coi'k  and  allow  the  bees  to  get  to  the  queen, 
and  in  two  days  moi'e  the  cage  may  be  removed,  the  (|ueen  liberated  and  all 
is  well.  In  extreme  ca.ses  where  the  robbers  are  bad  and  one  has  exception- 
ally cross  hybrids  or  black  bees,  it  is  best  to  leave  the  cage  in  the  hive  for 

three  days  before 
removing  tiie  cork 
over  the  exclud- 
er aiul  for  three 
days  more  after 
that,  but  1  have 
Jic\('r  roiuid  lliis 
necessary.  S  p  ;i  c  c 
should  ))(•  left  be- 
tween the  cage  and 
llie  comb  next  to  it 
so  the  lu'cs  cati 
crawl  ovei'  the  wire 
screen  and  get  ac- 
quainted with  the 
j  r(ueeii.  It'  i|Ueens 
that  are  to  be  in- 
troduced   lia\(-  been 


Ar.A 


I  ST  l{()  1)1  (ISC  QUE  EXS.— Chapter  XXVIl. 

leceived  tluouiili  the  mail,  it  is  a  uood  i)lan  to  burn  tlie  cages  unless  the 
<andy  in  the  cages  eontains  no  lioney.  American  foul  brood  has  been 
scattered  all  over  the  country  in  (|ueen-caiie  candy. 

As  soon  as  the  cork  is  removed  over  the  excluder  the  queen  increases 
eirg-laying-  at  a  rapid  rate,  because  the  bees  can  get  to  her  and  feed  her. 
She  lays  in  all  empty  cells,  then  goes  back  and  lays  in  them  again  and 
again,  sometimes  almost  filling-  them  with  eggs.  She,  therefore,  is  laying 
at  full  speed,  and  when  released  from  the  cage  will  fill  the  frames  with 
eggs  at  an  astonishing  rate.  T  have  frequently  touiul  eggs  in  three 
frames  the  day  after  the  queen  was  released. 

The  queen  lays  more  eggs  the  first  day  after  being  released  than  she 
would  in  two  or  three  days  where  she  could  lay  no  eggs  in  the  cage,  and 
had  to  build  up  to  egg-laying  after  being  released.     She  has  greatly  in- 


m^m 


creased  in  size,  so  by  the  time  she  is  turned  out  she  is  a  large  laying 
(lueen,  with  the  odor  of  the  colony;  the  bees  have  been  feetling  her  and  have 
l)assed  in  and  out  of  the  cage  so  that  the  queen  is  as  nuich  the  mother  of 
that  colony  as  though  they  had  reared  her  themselves.  When  this  cage  is 
usetl  as  above  described,  1  have  yet  to  lose  a  single  queen.  Others  have 
done  e^iually  well.  Jn  fact,  1  do  not  believe  a  ([ueen  would  ever  be  killed 
by  the  bees  when  the  cage  is  i)roperly  used. 

I'pon  several  occasions,  1  have  had  (|ueens  killed  bcausc  1  had  overlooked 
some  cell  from  which  a  (jueen  emerged  and  killed  the  one  that  1  was 
trying  to  introduce.  Upon  several  occasions,  virgins  from  nuclei  got  into 
the  hive,  were  accepted,  and  killed  the  laying  (|ueen  as  soon  as  she  came 
out  of  the  cage.  Once  when  1  was  making  increase  I  shook  the  bees  into 
:i  new  hive  at  the  time  I  rclciisc.l  the  (inecu.  She  came  up  missing.  There 
were  robbers  who  [Molubly  killed  her.      I   Ikivc  Ii.m.I   iIh-  s;im.'  thing  h:ip|.eii 


IXTEOJJUCING  QUEENS.— Chapter  XXVII. 

to  a  queen  that  had  been  in  the  colony  for  a  year,  so  I  do  not  consider  tliat 
the  losses  mentioned  were  in  any  way  the  fault  of  the  method  of  introduc- 
tion. To  avoid  the  ])Ossibility  of  having  a  virgin  in  the  colony,  one  should 
examine  the  cage  at  the  time  of  releasing  the  queen,  and  if  there  is  another 
queen  in  the  hive  the  bees  will  be  balling  the  cage.  In  such  cases  hunt  up 
the  other  queen  and  remove  her,  leave  the  cage  in  a  couple  of  days  more 
and  the  queen  will  be  accepted.  I  have  saved  several  queens  in  this  man- 
ner. 

Reasons  for  Acceptance. 

This  is  the  "sentimental"  method,  and  it  in  no  way  injures  the  queen. 
It  is  well  known  that  an  old  and  failing  queen  can  be  introduced  to  almost 
any  colony  as  the  bees  pay  no  attention  to  her.  From  the  fact  that  the 
bees  know  they  have  a  queen  while  she  is  in  this  cage  and  that  she  can  not 
get  out  and  lay  in  the  combs  in  a  natural  manner,  I  believe  they  consider 
they  have  a  queen  that  needs  superseding,  which  is  another  reason  they 
accept  her  so  readily.  I  have  noticed  that  at  times  they  build  a  piece  of 
comb  in  the  space  left  vacant  by  the  removal  of  the  frame,  and  on  this 
comb  they  start  numerous  queen-cells,  expecting  the  queen  to  lay  in  them. 
Sometimes  a  dozen  or  more  cells  will  be  started  on  a  ]iiece  of  comb  not 
more  than  four  inches  long  and  two  or  three  inches  wide. 

Introducing  Queens  to  Laying  Workers. 

As  a  rule,  it  is  not  worth  while  to  try  to  introduce  a  queen  to  laying- 
workers  from  the  fact  that  they  will  not  readily  accept  the  queen,  and, 
even  if  it  is  successful,  these  old  bees  are  not  capable  of  acting  as  nurses; 
so  that,  if  it  does  build  up  at  all,  the  colony  is  very  slow  in  doing  so.  How- 
ever, the  following  method  has  been  entirely  successful  in  putting  tlie  lay- 
ing workers  back  on  the  job  in  a  satisfactory  manner:  Take  a  frame  of 
emerging  brood  from  another  colony  and  use  the  cage  on  that  as  previously 
described.  Set  this  in  the  center  of  the  colony  of  laying  workers  and 
introduce  as  before.  The  bees  readily  accept  the  queen,  and  the  frame  of 
emerging  brood  furnishes  nurse  bees  enough  to  give  them  a  start.  If  late 
in  the  season  and  the  colon}'-  is  weak,  it  is  well  to  give  it  two  or  three  frames 
of  brood  at  the  time  of  introducing  the  queen. 

Emerging  (or  Hatching)  Brood  Method. 

One  method  without  the  use  of  any  of  the  above-described  cages  has 
been  used  for  many  years  with  almost  perfect  success.  It  is  that  of  placing 
the  queen  on  combs  of  emerging  brood  after  having  brushed  off  all  of  the 
bees.  The  main  objection  to  this  method  is  the  time  and  work  it  takes. 
However,  if  one  has  a  very  valuable  queen  and  does  not  mind  the  work,  it 
gives  excellent  results. 

The  procedure  is  as  follows:  Take  four  or  five  fiaiiies  of  brood  and 
put  them  over  a  strong  colony  above  a  queen-excluder.  In  ten  days  all  of 
tlie  brood  will  be  capped  over.  Now  take  off  these  frames  of  brood  I'roin 
the  colony  and  be  careful  to  brush  off  evei-y  beo.  Place  tlieiu  in  an  empty 
hive  and  stop  up  the  entrance  willi  rags  so  tlial  no  hvv  can  -el  out.    Take 


INTBODUCTNG  QUEENS.— Chapter  XXVII. 

this  into  the  house,  remove  the  perforated  tin  on  the  mailing-  cage  eon- 
fnining  the  queen,  set  the  cage  down  on  the  bottom-board  and  close  the 
liive.  The  queen  and  bees  will  crawl  out  of  the  cage  on  to  the  combs. 
Keep  this  hive  in  the  house  so  that  the  temperature  is  even  in  order  that 
the  bees  may  emerge  and  not  become  chilled  or  overheated.  In  five  or  six 
days  set  this  hive  on  a  stand,  open  the  entrance  just  wide  enough  for  one 
bee  to  get  in  and  out  at  a  time.  Watch  to  see  that  robbers  do  not  over- 
l)ower  it,  as  it  will  be  a  couple  of  weeks  before  the  bees  can  put  up  much 
of  a  defensive  fight.  Do  not  allow  your  curiosity  to  get  the  better  of  your 
.judgment  and  induce  you  to  open  the  hive  for  several  days  after  you  put 
in  the  queen,  for,  if  there  are  not  many  bees  emerged,  the  queen  is  apt 
to  fly  out.  I  once  lost  a  fine  imported  queen  in  that  way.  This  method 
gives  excellent  results  when  carried  out  as  above  described. 

Emerging  brood  may  be  taken  directly  from  the  hives  instead  of  plac- 
ing them  above  a  queen-excluder,  but  in  that  case  the  unsealed  brood  crawl 
out,  die  and  make  a  muss. 

Unsatisfactory  Modification. 

Some  have  suggested  a  change  in  this  method  and  recommend  that, 
instead  of  putting  the  hive  with  brood  into  the  house,  it  be  set  over  a 
wire  screen  above  a  strong  colony  in  order  that  the  bees  may  get  the  heat 
from  the  colony  below.  In  theory  this  is  fine,  but  in  practice  it  is  a  pro- 
nounced failure.  Many  of  the  queens  will  be  found  dead  when  this  method 
is  followed.  It  does  not  look  reasonable  that  the  bees  sting  the  queen 
through  the  wire,  but  that  may  be  the  cause  of  the  death  of  the  queens.  My 
assistants  in  nailing  up  queen  cages  frequently  get  their  fingers  stung 
through  the  wire  screen.  One  day  when  the  weather  was  rather  cold,  I  had 
a  mailing  cage  containing  queen  and  bees.  I  placed  my  hand  over  the  wire 
screen  to  see  if  it  would  warm  them  up.  Immediately  a  bee  planted  its 
sting  in  the  center  of  my  hand,  leaving  it  there.  It  is  possible  that  the  bees 
sting  the  queen  througli  the  screen.  At  any  rate  many  have  reported  los- 
ing queens  when  introducing  them  in  this  manner,  above  a  strong  colony 
over  a  wire  screen ;  but  tlie  former  metliod  of  removing  brood  to  the  house 
is  an  excellent  one. 

A  Common  Cause  of  Failure  in  Queen  Introduction . 

Eegardless  of  wliat  metliod  is  employed  in  introducing  queens,  it  is 
very  essential  that  all  combs  be  put  back  in  the  same  position  that  they 
were  before  removing.  If  this  is  not  done,  many  queens  will  be  killed  even 
after  they  have  been  accejited  and  have  been  laying.  When  the  combs  are 
not  put  back  as  they  were  originally  found,  this  is  what  is  apt  to  happen : 
When  the  new  queen  is  released  from  the  cage,  she  takes  a  "swing  around 
the  circle"  to  see  to  it  that  all  queen-cells  that  have  been  started  are  de- 
stroyed. Now,  if  a  comb  of  honey  has  been  inserted  in  the  middle  of  the 
brood-nest,  the  queen  does  not  realize  that  there  is  more  brood  over  the 
other  side  of  this  comb;  consequently  she  does  not  go  over  to  that  side  to 
attend  to  the  destruction  of  any  cells  that  may  have  been  started  tliere.  She 
seems  to  think  that  she  has  been  all  over  the  brood-nest,  and  settles  down  to 

91 


ISI  llonrclSa   QI'EESS.— chapter  XXVII. 

egg-la yinj:-.  A  lew  days  later  a  <|U(h'ii  eiiuTiies  on  tlu'  other  side  of  the 
comb  of  honey,  and  soonei'  oi-  latei-  the  xiiiiin  and  the  hiying  queen  meet 
and  the  laying  (iiieen  is  always  kiUed.  1  lost  many  (jueens  in  this  way  be- 
fore I  discovered  the  cause.  Many  who  hay  queens  through  the  mail  have 
trouble  from  this  cause.  They  will  wonder  why  it  is  tiiat,  altliougli  the 
queen  was  laying  profusely,  she  was  "sujierseded"  so  soon,  for  she  was 
found  in  front  of  the  hive  dead  and  a  virgin  was  discovei'ed  in  the  hive. 
She  was  not  supei'seded ;  she  was  killed  hy  the  vii-gin  that  came  t'roni  the 
other  side  of  the  hive. 

Why  Queens  Die  in  the  Mailing  Cage. 

When  the  common  mailing  cage  is  used  as  an  introducing  cage,  in  some 
instances  all  the  workers  and  the  queen  are  found  dead  after  the  cage  has 
been  in  the  hive.  We  have  had  many  inquiries  as  to  the  cause  of  this  loss. 
1  am  satisfied  that  the  bees  of  the  colony  sting  the  workei-s  and  (jueen  con- 
fined in  the  cage  through  the  wire.  Some  beekeepers  have  tried  to  shorten 
the  period  of  queenlessness  of  the  colony  by  ])utting  the  nuiiling  cage  into 
the  hive  before  removing  the  old  queen.  Their  theory  is  that  the  bees 
will  get  ac(juainted  with  the  queen,  and  she  can,  therefore,  be  released  as 
soon  as  the  old  queen  is  removed.  In  practice,  however,  this  failed  to  woik. 
All  Avorkers  and  frequently  the  queen  are  killed  in  the  cage,  or  else  killed 
as  soon  as  released  from  the  cage.  It  was  found  necessary  to  leave  the 
cage  in  the  hive  from  two  to  four  days  after  removing  the  old  queen.  There- 
fore, no  time  was  saved  but  many  queens  lost.  In  the  push-in  cage,  how- 
ever, there  is  not  this  loss  from  the  stinging  throiiiili  the  s-reen.  probably 
because  the  queen  naturally  stays  on  the  couih  out  of  reach  of  the  angry 
woi-kers  of  the  colony. 

There  does  not  seem  to  he  this  loss  when  the  round  Doolittle  cage  is 
used,  i)ossibly  for  the  leason  that  the  queen  stays  near  the  edge  nearest  the 
comb.  When  a  Doolittle  ca,i;e  is  used  with  a  (|neen-excluder  inside  the 
cage  and  the  entire  canal  three  or  tour  inches  long  tilled  with  candy,  a 
large  i)ercentage  can  be  successfully  inti'oduced.  This  lacks,  however,  the 
one  im])ort.ant  feature,  that  the  (|ueen  can  not  lay  while  in  the  cage,  and 
when  released  is  not  received  as  readilv  as  a  lavin;.:  (luecTi. 


DISPOSING  OF  NUCLEI  AT  CLOSE  OF  SEASON. 


CllArTKR  XW'ill. 


When  tlie  qiieen-iearini;'  season  is  over,  it  is  of  course  neeessaiy  lo 
dispose  of  the  nuclei.  In  warm  climates,  part  may  be  kept  over  until 
sprinii-  if  they  are  strong-  in  bees  and  lich  in  stores.  In  ease  one  has  extra 
queens,  this  is  an  excellent  plan  since  there  is  always  a  great  deuumd  foi- 
queens  in  the  early  spring  before  any  can  be  reared.  This  demand  is  cause.l 
by  the  fact  that  nmny  colonies  come  out  (lueenless,  and  if  queens  can  be 
l)rocured  the  colonies  would  be  saved. 

1  find  it  profitable  to  winter  our  luiclei  even  as  far  north  as  Vincen- 
nes.  Two  twin-nuclei,  with  standard  Jumbo  size  of  frames,  are  placed 
in  a  case  and  packed  in  sawdust  luuch  after  the  i)lan  used  in  ])ackini;- 
full  colonies.  In  case  the  nuclei  are  well  supplie<I  with  honey  and 
have  enough  bees  to  fill  the  hives  nicely,  they  winter  as  well  as  stronger 
colonies  that  have  more  room.  If  the  honey  producer  can  winter  a  few 
queens  in  this  manner,  he  will  find  that  they  come  in  handy  the  next 
spring  in  giving  them  to  queenless  colonies  and  replacing  queens  that  are 
failing.  In  requeening  such  colonies,  the  whole  nucleus  (queen,  combs  and 
bees)  is  set  over  the  one  to  be  requeened  and  united  by  the  newspaper 
method,  for  this  nucleus  will  not  be  needed  for  queen-rearing  since  it  will 
l.robably  be  a  nuudier  of  weeks  before  qneen-rearing  can  be  started. 

However,  a  large  percentage  of  the  nuclei  uuist  be  disposed  of  as  the 
queens  in  them  will  be  needed  for  colonies.  An  excellent  way  to  accom- 
plish this  is  to  gather  a  number  of  nuclei  in  one  place  in  the  center  of 
where  the  group  formerly  stood,  then  in  the  midst  of  them  place  a  hive 
with  two  or  three  frames  of  honey.  Next,  remove  the  frames  from  the 
nucleus  hives  and  brush  off  all  of  the  bees  in  front  of  the  hive.  Some  go 
in,  and  others  go  back  to  their  old  location.  Finding  their  nucleus  gone  they 
circle  around  till  they  come  back  to  the  hive  where  the  bees  are  fanning 
when  they  join  these,  and  as  all  begin  to  fan  they  call  the  bees  in  the  aii-  to 
them.  After  this  more  nuclei  may  be  emptied,  and  all  the  bees  will  at  once 
go  into  the  hive.  It  is  a  good  plan  to  have  a  queen  trap  on  the  entrance  in 
order  to  catch  any  virgin  that  is  apt  to  be  overlooked.  T  usually  i)ut  in 
about  three  pounds  of  bees.  Then  I  go  to  a  colony  that  is  weak  and  dump 
the  bees  in  front  of  the  hive.  They  immediately  run  into  the  entrance.  In 
this  way  weak  colonies  can  be  brouglit  up  to  the  required  strength.  If  one 
wishes,  he  can  put  a  large  number  of  bees  together  and  give  them  a  laying 
queen,  forming  a  new  colony.  I  believe  it  is  better  to  streng-then  weak 
colonies,  for  we  can  usually  find  a  few  of  such. 

Xow  the  question  arises,  "Will  not  the  bees  go  back  to  their  old  loca- 
tion the  next  time  they  take  a  flight?"  '  No,  they  do  not,  for  when  they  set 
ui>  the  fanning  as  they  run  into  the  hive,  they  seem  to  put  themselves  into 


93 


DISPOSING  OF  NUCLEI  AT  CLOSE  OF  SEASON— Chap.  XXVIIJ. 


the  condition  of  a  new  swarm  and  they  will  stay  anywhere  they  are  placed. 
1  have  never  seen  a  single  bee  return  to  the  old  stand  after  it  had  once 
joined  the  new  hive.  Another  peculiar  thing  in  this  connection  is  the  fact 
that  bees  never  fight  against  the  colony  with  which  they  are  united  and  never 
kill  the  queen.  They  seem  so  demoralized  that  they  are  willing  to  accept 
things  as  they  find  them.  In  uniting  them  in  this  manner  it  is  well  to  make 
the  colony  extra  strong,  for  many  of  these  nucleus  bees  are  old  and  will 
die  off  before  spring.  This  plan  of  disposing  of  the  nucleus  bees  has  been 
of  much  value  to  me,  for  it  has  enabled  me  to  build  up  weak  colonies  to 
good  sti-ength  and  winter  them  over,  where  otherwise  it  would  have  been 
necessary  to  unite  these  weak  colonies  to  save  them,  thus  reducing  the 
number  of  colonies. 

Packing  Cases  for  Nuclei. 

Many  honey  producers  use  extra  hive  bodies  or  extracting  supers  for 
nuclei;  but  some  will  undoubtedly  find  it  more  profitable  to  make  or  buy 
a  special  nucleus  hive.  In  using  an  extra  hive  body  it  is  necessary  to  have 
an  extra  bottom-board  and  cover,  so  there  is  little  if  anything  saved  in 
using  them.  A  twin  nucleus  hive,  with  room  for  two  frames  and  a  division- 
board  in  each  side,  is  a  splendid  equipment  and  is  hard  to  beat.  It  is  a 
source  of  great  satisfaction  to  have  on  hand  throughout  the  season  a  nuai- 
ber  of  queens  to  use  in  ease  of  emergency.  This  is  especially  true  in  the 
spring,  for  in  a  large  apiary  there  are  sure  to  be  at  least  a  few  colonies 
which  come  though  the  winter  queenless.  If  the  beekeeper  has  an  extra 
queen  wintered  in  a  nucleus,  this  can  be  united  with  the  queenless  colony 
and  it  will  build  up  ready  for  the  honey  flow  in  fine  style. 

In  wintering  the  nuclei  in  cases  if  the  opening  in  the  winter  case  were 
directly  in  front  of  the  nucleus  entrance,  the  two  entrances  would  be  so 
close  together  as  to  cause  drifting.     We,  therefore,  make  a  tunnel  one-half 

inch  inside  measurement,  which  is 
placed  at  right  angles  with  the  nu- 
cleus. In  this  manner  the  bees  fly 
out  at  the  side  instead  of  in  front. 
The  tunnel  is  whittled  off  round  at 
the  end,  and  a  round  hole  is  bored 
in  the  winter  case.  That  the  bees 
may  easily  find  the  entrance,  the  end 
of  this  tunnel  is  painted  black.  For 
packing,  sawdust  is  used,  four  inches 
on  bottom,  and  six  inches  on  top  and 
sides.  It  is  important  to  use  saw- 
dust which  has  been  kept  under  cover 
for  one   summer  and   which    is   per- 

Nucleus  packing  case.  f^^^jy  ^^^^   q^,^^^  ^^^^.^^^^^^   -^^   ^^^,.  ^^. 

]ierience  is  no  betti-r  than  no  packing  at  all. 


CARE  OF  COMBS. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


After  the  uuclei  are  united,  the  combs  must  be  taken  care  of  to  pre- 
vent their  being  destroyed  by  the  wax  worm.  If  the  combs  are  allowed 
to  freeze  a  few  times,  they  are  free  from  that  pest  until  spring,  or  if  they 
can  be  kept  in  a  cool  place  during  the  wunter  they  are  safe.  Do  not,  however, 
store  them  in  a  warm  place  such  as  a  basement  or  attic  without  first  fumi- 
gating them.  A  good  way  to  fumigate  is  to  put  them  into  a  close  room  and 
bum  sulphur.  This  must  be  done  several  times,  as  the  sulphur  does  not 
seem  to  destroy  the  eggs  of  the  moth.  Bisulphide  of  carbon  is  more  effective, 
but  it  is  very  explosive  and  is  dangerous  to  use  in  a  room.  A  good  method 
to  employ  in  using  it  is  to  stack  the  hive  bodies  up  outside,  putting  a  thin 
super  cover  on  both  the  top  and  the  bottom  of  the  pile.  The  top  hive 
body  should  be  empty  to  make  room  for  a  dish  of  bisulphide  of  carbon. 
Pour  half  a  pint  into  the  dish  and  let  it  remain  till  it  evaporates.  This 
will  kill  all  wax  worms.  To  make  doubly  certain,  another  application  should 
be  made  in  two  weeks,  and  then  the  combs  will  probably  be  safe.  It  is  a 
good  plan  to  examine  the  combs  at  times  to  be  sure  that  no  wax  worms 
are  present,  for  it  is  rather  depressing  to  ^jne's  s]iirits  to  lift  off  a  hive 
body  in  the  spring  and  find  everything  a  mass  of  webs  and  all  combs 
destroyed. 


Coinl)  made   from   Airco   foundation   drawn   above   an   excluder. 
95 


SUPPLEMENTARY  TOPICS. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


Queen-Rearing  for  the  Honey  Producer. 

Although  1  have  now  described  the  method  of  queen-rearing-  as  prac- 
ticed in  a  commercial  way,  the  primaiy  object  of  this  book  is  to  help  the 
honey  producer  in  reai-ing-  his  own  queens,  for  if  a  beekeepei'  expects  to 
get  the  most  out  of  his  bees  he  must  surely  look  after  them  carefully. 
Let  us  now  adapt  parts  of  the  queen-rearing'  methods  just  described  to  the 
special  use  of  tlie  honey  i)ro(hicer  and  recommend  such  changes  as  will  best 
suit  his  needs.  Let  us  consider  tluit  you  are  a  honey  jiroducer  operating- 
two  hundi'ed  colonies  and  upward.  How  far  will  the  methods  just  de- 
scribed apply? 

In  the  first  place,  I  feel  certain  that  the  use  of  the  swarm  box,  dipped 
cells  and  the  manner  of  having  cells  finished  above  the  queen-excluder  are 
the  very  best  for  the  honey  i)roducer  to  adoi>t.  WHiile  a  little  more  i)a- 
lienee  and  study  are  required  for  its  nuistery,  it  certainly  jiays  handsome 
returns  for  your  time  and  labor  invested.  Many  successful  honey  pro- 
ducers all  over  the  world  are  using  similar  methods  with  the  best  of  suc- 
cess. Many  who  use  the  grafting-  method  and  rear  their  own  queens  have 
informed  me  that  with  them  it  had  simply  meant  the  difference  between 
success  and  failure.  However,  after  the  cells  are  completed  and  are  rii)e, 
the  honey  producer  may  branch  off  from  the  methods  of  the  commeicial 
(jueen-breeder  and  ado])t  those  best  suited  to  his  needs  and  circimistances. 

Queen-Rearing  from  Commercial  Cell  Cups. 

Mr.  M.  T.  Pritchai-d,  queen-breeder  for  The  A.  1.  Root  Company,  Me- 
dina, Ohio,  has  probably  reared  more  queens  than  any  other  man  in  the 
world.  He  uses  the  Root  wooden  cell  cups  into  which  are  pressed  the 
wax  cups.  He  pi-efers  the  wooden  bases  because,  he  says,  they  protect  the 
wax  cups  before  and  aftei'  they  are  completed  by  the  bees;  because  they 
facilitate  handling  of  the  cells  with  tlieir  occupants;  and  last  but  not  least, 
because  he  can  easily  separate  the  cells  when  they  are  finished  by  the  bees. 
They  enable  him  also  to  pick  out  the  choicest  and  best  cells  from  the  cell- 
starters  and  give  theui  to  the  cell-finishers.  These  wooden  cups  are  mounted 
on  a  bar  by  using-  a  little  i)inch  of  wax.  Mr.  Pritchard  prefers  the  (jueen- 
less,  broodless  method  for  starting-  the  cells.  He  chooses  larvae  twelve  houi-s 
old  and  endeavors  to  get  the  larg-est  larvae  of  that  age.  He  says,  "the 
larger  the  bettei'."  He  determines  the  age  by  keeping-  a  lecord  of  the  time 
the  comb  is  given  to  the  colony  having-  the  breeding  queen.  As  soon  as 
tliere  are  eggs  in  the  comb  it  is  an  easy  matter  with  him  to  determine  the 
age  of  the  larvae.     He  jn-efers  laivae  slightly  cuived  but  not  coiled  up. 


SUPPLEMEXTARY  TOPICS.— Chapter  XXX. 


Pressed   cell  cup. 


^fr.  Pritf'Iini-d  says  there  arc  times  when 
he  finds  the  coll-proteotor  a  .yreat  convenience 
and  tlie  wooden  cell  cup  fits  the  eell-protoctor 
better  than  the  dipped  cell.  Mr.  Pritchard  also 
helieves  it  better  to  choose  larvae  near  the 
center  of  the  coinb.  as  he  considers  the  ones 
near  the  bottom  of  the  comb  not  so  well 
suited  for  grafting-.  The  high  quality  of  the 
queens  turned  out  by  Mr.  Pritchard  is  known 
the  world  over.  A  number  of  years  ago  the 
author  visited  Medina  while  queen-rearing 
was  in  full  blast  and  learned  a  number  of 
valuable  features  of  queen-rearing  from  Mr. 
Pritchard. 

Requeening. 

Some  have  preteried  to  introduce  the 
ripe  cell  to  the  colony,  while  some  ]n-efer  to 
introduce  the  laying  ciueen.  For  the  pur- 
pose of  improving  the  stock  as  well  as  to 
replace  worn-out  queens  I  have  requeened 
my  entire  apiary  of  several  hundred  colo- 
nies every  year,  and  sometimes  when  I 
thought  I  had  discovered  a  better  breeder  many  were  requeened  tw.o  or 
three  tiiues  in  the  year.  I  find  the  use  of  both  methods  of  introduction, 
sometimes  the  cell  and  sometimes  the  laying  queen,  is  very  profitable.  T 
believe  it  will  i^ay  all  honey  producers  to  have  on  hand  a  number  of 
nuclei  in  order  to  have  young  queens  to  draw  on  when  circumstances  de- 
mand. In  the  main,  however,  since  learning  that  it  is  a  matter  of  feed 
that  causes  the  bees  to  accept  the  queen-cells,  I  am  using  the  cell  method 
more  and  more. 

The  principle  or  law  of  the  bees  that  a  well-fed  colony  will  not  de- 
stroy cells  should  have  a  far-reaching  effect  with  the  honey  producer,  for 
we  can  now  give  ripe  cells  directly  to  strong  colonies  immedintelij  upon  re- 
movifif)  the  old  queen  it:ilh  almost  unfailing  rertaintif  that  theif  ir.ill  he  ac- 
cepted. ^&  must  remember  that  it  is  hungry  bees  that  tear  down  cells; 
well-fed  ones  do  not.  When  bees  are  hungry,  they  themselves  tear  down 
cells.  When  they  are  well  fed  they  pass  the  task  of  cell  destruction  up  to 
the  queen.  If  she  wants  to  swarm,  she  does  not  destroy  thexu.  If  she  does 
not  wish  to  swarm,  she  attends  to  the  destruction  of  the  cells  herself. 
True,  the  workers  are  doing  most  of  the  work;  but  if  you  catch  the  queen 
and  remove  her,  the  cell  destruction  ceases  like  magic  if  the  colony  has 
plenty  of  food.  Therefore,  if  the  colony  is  well  fed  and  if  you  remove 
the  queen,  the  cells  are  allowed  to  produce  queens,  and  a  strange  cell  w^ill 
remain  untouched  the  same  as  one  which  the  bees  themselves  rearetl. 

Therefore,  if  the  honey  producer  raises  a  lot  of  nice  large  cells  well 
supplied  with  royal  jelly,  he  can  requeen  with  very  little  labor  and  with 
small  loss  of  cells.     I  strongly  recommend  that  requeening  be  done  after 


SUPPLEMENTARY  TOPICS.— Chapter  XXX. 

the  honey  flow  is  well  along  and  the  swarming  season  has  j^assed  or  nearly 
passed.  If  colonies  are  given  cells  when  they  are  preparing  to  swarm,  they 
Avill  swarm  anyway.  They  likewise  swarm  if  a  laying  queen  is  introduced. 
I  have  found  that,  if  a  laying  queen  is  introduced  to  a  colony  before  it  has 
any  notion  of  sw^arming,  it  does  not  swann  that  year ;  but,  if  preparing  to 
swarm,  it  swarms  with  the  new  queen  as  readily  as  with  the  old  one.  The 
same  thing  occurs  with  a  cell ;  if  the  cell  is  given  before  the  colony  has  any 
notion  of  swarming,  that  colony  is  effectually  prevented  from  doing  so 
that  season.  However,  except  under  unusual  conditions,  requeening  with 
the  cell  method  before  swarming  season  is  not  advisable,  for  the  absence  of 
a  laying  queen  at  this  time  seriously  affects  the  honey  yield  of  the  colony. 
In  case  one  waits  until  the  honey  flow  is  well  along,  the  colony  may  be  re- 
queened  with  little  loss  in  strength,  for  the  bees  that  would  have  been 
reared  at  that  time  would  be  too  late  to  help  in  that  harvest. 

The  method  of  giving  the  cell,  which  I  have  found  entirely  satisfactory, 
is  to  requeen  during  a  heavy  honey  flow  by  simply  removing  the  old  queen 
and  putting  in  a  ripe  cell.  The  bees  seldom  tear  this  down.  However,  to 
do  all  requeening  during  such  favorable  times  is  not  possible.  Just  as  the 
honey  flow  closes  and  the  supers  are  off,  you  can  remove  the  old  queens  in 
the  evening  and  give  the  colony  a  heavy  feed.  Next  morning  give  it  a 
ripe  cell,  which  the  bees  invariably  accept.  We  nuist  remember  that  in  nature 
bees  do  not  have  cells  except  when  they  are  receiving  food  in  abundance, 
and  Ave  must  duplicate  these  conditions  if  we  hope  to  succeed. 

After  the  cell  is  given,  it  is  well,  in  a  few  days,  to  look  to  see  if  the 
queen  has  emerged.  This  may  be  determined  by  the  appearance  of  the 
cell.  If  it  has  a  small  opening  at  the  lower  end,  you  may  be  sure  the  virgin 
is  there.  If  the  beekeeper  has  little  time  he  can  wait  for  ten  days,  and 
if  eggs  are  present  he  may  be  sure  the  queen  came  from  the  cell  given ;  but 
if  there  are  other  queen-cells  started,  it  indicates  that  the  cell  given  was 
destroyed.  In  such  cases  the  frames  should  be  removed  and  all  bees  shaken 
off  in  order  that  every  one  of  these  other  cells  tliat  are  started  may  be  de- 
sti'oyed.  Queens  coming  from  such  cells  would  usually  be  inferior.  As 
the  colony  has  been  without  a  queen  for  some  time,  it  would  be  better  to 
introduce  a  laying  queen,  if  you  have  some  on  hand,  rather  than  give  it 
another  cell,  for  this  Avould  leave  it  queenless  so  long  that  it  Avould  become 
greatly  depleted  in  bees.  Furthermore,  if  the  second  cell  given  should  lie 
destroyed,  the  colony  would  probably  run  into  laying  workers  and  be 
ruined.  If  you  have  no  laying  queen  a  cell  should  be  given  as  previously 
described,  feeding  heavily  as  before.  However,  in  this  case  it  would  be 
well  to  examine  it  one  or  two  days  after  the  virgin  emerged  from  the  cell, 
and  in  case  this  cell  is  destroyed  give  another  immediately.  We  should 
bear  in  mind  that  cells  are  destroyed  in  this  manner  very  rarely;  but,  in 
order  to  avoid  ruining  a  colony  from  queenlessness,  it  should  be  carefully 
watched.    However,  if  the  work  is  properly  done  few  cells  will  be  destroyed. 

Uniting-  Bees. 

In  the  previous  pages  frefiuent  mention  has  been  made  of  uniting  colo- 
nies.   By  far  the  easiest  and  safest  method  is  what  is  known  as  the  "news- 


SUl'l'LKMI'JX TA  I,' )    Tories. -(Uu,pU:r  XX  X. 

paper  method."    The  inventor  of  this  system  was  Dr.  Millci-,  and  it  is  one 
of  the  many  splendid  things  that  he  luis  given  to  beekeepers. 

To  unite  two  colonies,  place  two  thicknesses  of  common  newspaper 
over  one  colony  on  the  brood-frames,  set  the  other  colony  that  is  to  be 
united  on  top  and  put  on  the  cover.  In  a  day  or  two  the  bees  will  gnaw 
away  the  paper  and  become  acquainted.  As  they  coiue  in  contact  with 
each  other,  a  few  bees  at  a  time,  there  is  no  fighting-  whatever.  The  bees  in 
the  upper  hive  body  seem  to  realize  that  they  have  been  moved,  for  they 
mark  their  new  location  and  do  not  return  to  the  old  one.  In  very  hot 
weather  it  is  sometimes  advisable  to  punch  a  hole  in  the  paper  witli  a  com- 
mon lead  pencil  to  prevent  suffocation. 

Uniting  Laying  Worker  Colonies. 

If  one  has  a  colony  containing  laying  workers  to  which  he  does  not 
wish  to  introduce  a  queen,  it  can  be  united  with  any  other  colony  by  the 
newspaper  method  and  the  queen  will  not  be  injured  in  any  way.  The  colo- 
nies sliould  not  be  disturbed  for  a  week  or  more,  after  which  the  workers 
will  cease  to  lay.  When  this  occurs,  the  hive  body  which  originally  con- 
tained the  laying-  workers  may  be  set  on  the  bottom-board  of  the  present 
stand  and  the  queen  left  with  them,  while  the  other  hive  body  containing 
most  of  the  brood  may  be  moved  to  a  new  location  and  a  queen  introduced. 

Making  Increase. 

There  are  many  methods  of  making  increase.  If  a  large  increase  is 
desired,  one  should  begin  early  in  the  season.  For  this,  a  good  way  is  to 
proceed  in  the  same  manner  as  described  in  the  first  part  of  this  book  for 
forming-  nuclei,  but  it  is  better  to  give  the  new  colony  two  frames  of 
brood  and  bees  instead  of  one.  If  done  early  in  the  season  and  a  honey 
flow  follows,  a  two-frame  nucleus  should  build  up  into  a  good,  strong  col- 
ony before  winter.  If  no  honey  flow  is  on,  they  can  be  built  up  by  feeding 
sugar  syrup.  The  remainder  of  the  hive  is  to  be  filled  out  with  comb  or  full 
sheets  of  foundation.  This  method  should  be  used  only  when  a  large  num- 
ber of  colonies  are  to  be  made  from  a  few.  Where  a  limited  increase  is 
desired  the  method  I  have  used  for  a  number  of  years  has  given  such  per- 
fect satisfaction  that  I  recommend  it  in  preference  to  any  other. 

It  is  as  follows :  Take  the  colony  to  be  divided  and  set  it  temporarily 
to  one  side.  On  the  stand  it  has  occupied  place  an  empty  hive.  Take  out 
from  the  colony  one  frame  of  brood  with  the  queen,  and  place  it  in  the 
empty  hive.  Then  move  the  colony  from  which  the  queen  and  frame  were 
taken  to  a  new  stand  and  introduce  a  queen  to  it  or  give  it  a  ripe  queen- 
cell,  as  previously  explained.  Fill  out  the  hive  that  remains  on  the  old 
stand  with  combs  or  foundation.  The  field  bees  from  the  colony  just 
moved  will  return  to  their  old  location  and  build  tliis  colony  up  at  a  rapid 
rate.  A  queen  is  easily  introduced  to  the  moved  colony,  as  the  old  bees 
that  cause  the  trouble  have  gone  back  "home  to  mother's."  Xot  enough 
bees  will  leave  the  moved  colony,  however,  to  injure  the  uncapi^ed  brood. 
If  only  sheets  of  foundation  are  used  in  the  new  colony,  it  is  better  to  give 
two  frames  of  brood ;  but,  if  drawn  combs  are  used,  one  frame  is  sufficient. 


SUPPLEMEXTAltT  TOPICS.— Chapier  XXX. 

Mending  Damaged  Combs. 

How  oi'ien  every  beekeeper  litis  (Ii-chukmI  of  liavinii'  iicrfect  combs 
built  clear  to  tlie  bottom-bar,  one  Imndred  jier  cent  worker-cells!  All 
who  have  such  combs  please  rise.  Well,  I  shall  remain  seated  with  the  rest. 
Even  when  by  carefully  wired  full  sheets  of  foundation  we  get  fairly 
good  combs,  in  time  they  get  roimded  off  at  the  corners  and  later  are  drawn 
out  into  drone  comb.  Then  mice  get  in  and  make  holes  in  the  combs. 
^yax  worms  do  their  woik,  and,  as  yeai's  go  by,  our  combs  become  more  and 
more  filled  with  drone-cells. 

Xow,  if  we  take  a  little  pains  we  can  have  our  combs  continually  im- 
})roving  and  the  drone-cells  gi-adually  diminishing.  It  is  known  that  nu- 
clei or  weak  colonies  build  worker  comb  only.  Therefore,  when  we  dis- 
cover a  damaged  comb,  let  us  put  it  into  a  nucleus  for  repair.  If  it  con- 
tains drone  comb,  cut  out  the  drone-cells,  and  the  bees  in  the  nucleus  will 
l)iiild  worker  comb  in  its  stead. 

Then,  in  order  to  get  the  combs  built  to  the  bottom-bai-,  draw  the  nails 
in  that  liar  so  that  it  will  be  about  %  of  an  inch  lower.  The  bees  will  build 
comb  to  within  one-half  inch  of  it,  the  nails  may  be  driven  back  into  place, 
thereby  bringing  the  bottom-bar  ujj  snugly  against  the  bottom  of  tlic  comb, 
and  you  will  have  a  perfect  comb  as  the  result. 

Tf  it  is  desired  to  mend  combs  when  no  honey  is  coming  in,  the  bees 
will  do  excellent  work  at  comb-mending  by  having  tlieir  division-board 
feeder  kept  filled  with  sugar  syrup  or  honey.  Now  it  is  unnecessai-y  to 
have  regular  nucleus  hives  to  mend  combs,  but  any  weak  colony  will  do  it 
if  onlv  two  or  three  combs  are  given  thein  at  one  time. 


r.'iuly 


SUPPLEMENT  ART  TOPICS.— Chapter  XXX. 


it  is  the  usual  rule,  where  combs  are  mutilated  or  imperfect,  to  cut 
them  out,  melt  them  up  and  convert  into  wax.  This,  of  course,  involves 
work  and  expense  for  foundation  and  perhaps  new  frames.  Where  frames 
are  good  and  combs,  except  for  lioles  (for  all  drone  comb  should  be  out 
out),  are  otherwise  good  they  can  he  repaii'ed  )jy  the  bees  in  the  manner 
just  described  and  save  expense. 


REQUEENING  COLONIES  ABOUT  TO  SWARM. 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 


What  is  said  about  giving  a  cell  to  a  colony  preparing  to  swarm 
holds  good  in  introducing  a  laying  queen ;  that  is,  if  a  queen  is  introduced 
to  a  colony  that  is  in  tlie  swarming  notion,  it  will  swarm  just  the  same, 
the  newly  introduced  queen  going  out  with  the  bees.  It  is  generally  con- 
ceded that  a  colony  headed  by  a  young  queen,  one  reared  the  current  year, 
will  not  swarm. 

ISTow,  many  amateurs,  and  some  experienced  beekeepers,  too,  have 
sought  to  cure  the  swarming  fever  by  introducing  a  young  queen.  Failure 
is  usually  the  result.  A  beeman,  more  progressive  than  his  neighbor  bee- 
keeper, in  order  to  get  ahead  of  him,  bought  a  queen  from  a  breeder  some 
distance  away.  He  was  veiy  proud  of  the  queen  and  rubbed  it  in  on  his 
neighlior,  telling  him  he  could  not  buy  this  queen  for  $10.  It  so  happened 
that  he  introduced  her  to  a  colony  preparing  to  swarm.  He  stopped  his 
beekeeping  neighbor  and  led  him  out  to  the  hive  to  show  him  his  fine  new 
yellow  queen.  Before  they  got  there,  they  met  a  large  swarm  of  bees  go- 
ing to  parts  unknown.  When  they  looked  into  the  hive,  there  were  a  lot  of 
queen-cells  and  a  few  bees!  A  swarm  and  that  new  queen  had  taken  to 
the  woods.  It  was  now  his  neighbor's  turn.  He  said,  "Say,  I  can  now  buy 
that  queen  for  ten  dollars,  can't  11" 

However,  if  a  young  laying  queen  is  introduced  to  a  colony  before 
the  colony  has  the  swarming  notion,  my  experience  is  that  when  the  colony 
is  run  for  comb  honey  it  will  very  rarely  swarm  that  season,  and  when  run 
for  extracted  honey  I  have  never  had  one  swarm  when  requeened  in  this 
manner. 

Hive  Body  Used  as  Nucleus. 

A  very  popular  method  of  requeening  under  certain  circumstances  is 
by  using  one  of  the  brood-chambers  where  colonies  are  run  two  stories 
high.  Certain  localities  have  no  early  honey  flow.  The  bees  build  up  in 
the  spring,  go  "over  the  peak  of  brood-rearing"  and  are  on  the  down  grade 
before  the  honey  flow  comes  on.  This  is  the  case  in  many  alfalfa  dis- 
tricts. 

A  si:)Iendid  method  under  such  circumstances  is  llie  following :  We 
sliall  suppose  the  colonies  are  in  two-story  brood-chambers.  As  the  hives  are 
getting  well  filled  with  bees  and  brood,  remove  one  story,  place  it  on  a 
bottoiii-I)()ard,  give  it  a  cover,  and  put  it  close  beside  the  hive  body  from 
which  it  was  taken.  To  the  queenless  part,  give  a  ripe  queen-cell.  This 
will  in  time  build  u})  to  a  strong  colony.  When  the  honey  flow  begins, 
kill  the  old  queen  and  unite  these  two  colonies  by  the  newspaper  method 
described  further  on.  In  this  manner  the  colony  has  been  requeened,  and, 
as  there  is  a  young  queen  in  the  hive,  there  is  little  danger  of  swarming. 


REQUEENIXG  COLONIES  ABOUT  TO  SWABM.— Chapter  XXXI. 

By  this  sj^stem,  the  colony  has  the  brood  reared  from  two  queens,  and 
becomes  a  stronger  colony  than  was  possible  to  get  from  one  queen.  This 
same  method  can  be  used  to  advantage  in  the  eastern  states  where  there  are 
a  clover  flow  and  a  fall  flow.  In  that  case,  the  upper  hive  body  is  raised 
up  and  supers  added  between  the  two  hive  bodies  during  the  clover  flow. 
When  most  of  the  brood  in  the  upper  hive  have  emerged,  it  is  set  on  a 
new  stand  at  the  side  of  the  parent  colony  with  enough  bees  to  make  a 
small  colony.  A  cell  is  given  in  the  regular  way.  This  colony  is  allowed 
to  build  up  until  the  fall  flow  opens,  when  it  is  united  with  the  original 
colony  after  killing  the  old  queen.  By  this  method  of  requeening,  the  col- 
ony has  been  materially  strengthened  instead  of  weakened.  In  other  words, 
it  has  had  two  laying  queens  for  some  time  instead  of  no  queen  at  all  as 
is  the  ease  where  the  old  queen  is  removed  and  a  cell  given. 

In  case  the  double  brood-chainber  is  used,  one  can  be  employed  as  a 
nucleus  at  a  little  outlay.  All  that  is  necessary  is  some  extra  bottom- 
boards  and  covers.  When  one  makes  a  practice  of  introducing  the  queen- 
cell  directly  to  the  colony,  I  believe  even  then  it  is  a  splendid  idea  to  have 
on  hand  a  small  number  of  nuclei.  La^nng  queens  can  be  kept  in  these  to 
be  used  when  needed.  In  working  with  the  bees  you  occasionally  run 
across  a  colony  that  needs  a  better  queen,  and,  if  you  have  some  laying 
queens  in  resen-e  in  the  nuclei,  they  can  be  drawn  on  when  needed.  Should  a 
cell  that  you  have  given  to  a  colony  fail  to  provide  a  queen  for  it,  a  laying 
queen  can  be  given,  thus  preventing  the  weakening  of  the  colony  from  lack 
of  one  over  too  great  a  period. 


FEEDING  AND  FEEDERS. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


If  we  use  a  large  brood-chamber,  we  haAe  to  do  little  feediiiii,  as  a 
ride;  but  there  are  times  when  the  honey  ero])  fails,  or  we  have  been  a 
little  too  enthusiastic  in  uiaking  increase,  so  that  we  find  our  colonies  de- 
ficient in  stores,  with  winter  not  far  away.  All  beekeepers  have  been 
caught  in  such  a  predicament  at  one  time  or  another.  The  feeder  I  prefer 
is  made  by  nailing  a  strip  across  the  bottom-board  in  the  deep  side  about 
two  inches  back  of  the  entrance.  In  fact,  when  ordering  the  regular  bottoni- 
lioard  I  order  an  extra  piece  like  the  one  itsed  for  the  back  cleat  on  the 
deei^  entrance.  If  this  is  not  going  to  l)e  used  for  some  time,  the  bees 
will  stop  up  all  of  the  cracks  and  make  it  water-tight.  If  it  is  to  be  used 
at  once,  pour  melted  wax  or  paraffin  along  the  cracks  until  it  is  tight. 
This  feeder  costs  only  three  or  four  cents,  and  is  always  there  and  never 
in  the  Avay.  ]\Ioreover,  it  does  not  interfere  in  any  way  with  the  ventila- 
tion. If  a  driving  rain  comes  up,  this  cleat  keeps  the  rain  from  beating  in. 
If  you  find  a  colony  that  needs  feeding,  all  that  is  necessary  is  to  slide  the 
hive  ahead  about  two  inches  on  the  bottom-board,  and  pour  the  syrup  in 


How  to  make  a  feeder  out  of  a  bottom-board. 


by  alluvviug  it  lo  (low  against  the  back  of  the  hivo.  It  will  thus  spread 
out  and  run  ilf)\vti  into  fhe  bottom-board  feeder.  A  Jiinnel  can  be  used  if 
ineferrcd.  This  liotlom-board  feeder  holds  al)oul  ten  j)Ounds  of"  syrup.  Of 
course,  the  hive  must  bo  level  to  prevent  the  syruji  from  running  oiil.  If 
a  colony  needs  hcaxy  feeding,  the  bees  iiiay  be  fed  tlii-ee  or  four  evenings 
just  at  dusk,  and  l)el'ore  morning  they  will  have  all  of  the  feed  cleaned  up 
away  from  robbers.  'J'his  is  a  very  good  feeder  for  stimulating  during 
queen-i'earing  also,     i  f  used  evei-y  day  for  this  purpose,  it  is  best  to  have 


FEEDING  AND  FEEDERS.— Chapter  XXXII. 

a  thin  board  about  two  inches  wide  and  the  length  of  the  bottoin-board 
across  the  end,  as  a  sort  of  lid.  Then,  when  feeding,  this  cover  is  raised 
and  the  sj-rup  poured  in. 

Preparing  the  Feed  for  Winter. 

There  are  several  waj-s  of  preparing  syrup  for  the  bees.  Some  give  it 
warm,  and  some  recommend  cold  syrup.  I  endeavor  to  feed  early  in  the 
fall  before  the  weather  is  too  cold.  A  large  tub  or  boiler  is  a  good  thing  in 
which  to  mix  the  syrup.  Pour  in  cold  water  till  it  is  about  one-third  full. 
Then  add  granulated  sugar  and  keep  stirring  until  there  is  a  saturated 
solution.  After  you  have  added  so  much  sugar  that  it  settles  to  the  bottom 
about  two  inches  thick  and  does  not  dissolve,  no  matter  how  much  stirring 
you  do,  the  syrup  is  right.  Let  it  stand  a  few  minutes.  It  will  clear  up  and 
you  have  a  nice,  clear,  smooth  syrup.  Now,  when  this  is  given  to  the  bees 
they  invert  it  and  there  is  no  danger  of  its  granulating  in  the  hive.  If 
you  should  follow  this  process  and  have  the  water  warm,  it  would  take  u]) 
too  much  sugar  so  that  when  it  became  cold  crystals  would  form  and  it 
would  granulate  in  the  combs.  Another  objection  to  the  warm  syrup  is 
that,  when  the  bees  get  in  it,  they  become  covered  with  sugar  as  soon  as 
they  dry  off.  and  many  are  lost  in  that  way.  Of  course,  if  warm  syrup  is 
given  and  you  have  the  proportions  exactly  right,  it  is  a  good  method  but  it 
requires  much  more  work  than  the  cold  method  just  described.  No  meas- 
uring is  necessary  and  water  or  sugar  may  be  added  at  will,  and,  by  stirring, 
the  syrup  can  be  made  just  right. 

"We  should  so  conduct  our  apiary  that  feeding  for  winter  is  rarely 
necessary.  Let  us  first  assign  to  the  bees  the  task  of  laying  up  honey  for 
themselves.  Then,  after  they  have  done  this  so  that  they  have  an  abund- 
ance, we  may  consider  that  all  they  make  above  that  amount  rightfully  be- 
longs to  us;  but  let  us  be  sure  they  have  enough  before  we  dip  in.  Some- 
times in  spite  of  care,  however,  the  bees  will  need  feeding.  In  case  we  have 
made  a  large  increase  or  have  had  a  late  swarm  or  a  total  failure  of  the 
honey  flow,  a  number  of  well-filled  combs  of  honey  on  hand  for  this  pur- 
pose is  a  splendid  policy.  When  a  colony  needs  feeding  nothing  is  better 
than  combs  of  honev. 


REQUEENING  TO  CURE  EUROPEAN  FOUL  BROOD. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 


It  is  now  g-enerally  acknowledged  that  Euroijean  foul  brood  is  a  dis- 
ease of  weak  colonies  and  inferior  or  black  bees.  Many  extensive  honey 
l)roducers  testify  to  the  fact  that,  if  all  colonies  are  headed  by  vigorous, 
young,  Italian  queens  and  the  colony  kept  strong,  so  far  as  European  foul 
brood  as  a  menace  is  concerned,  they  can  forget  it.  During  the  winter  of 
1918-19  I  was  employed  by  the  Government  to  do  extension  work  in  the 
Apiculture  Department,  ray  territory  being  California.  During  this  time 
I  had  a  rare  opportunity  to  study  bee  disease,  especially  European  foul 
brood.  The  conditions  in  California  are  favorable  for  the  development  of 
this  disease.  I  found  the  statement  made  above  concerning  the  cure  of 
European  foul  brood  to  be  correct.  In  many  cases  this  disease  threatened 
to  put  the  beekeeper  out  of  business  until  he  began  to  rear  queens  from 
good  Italian  stock  and  requeen  the  entire  yard.  Then,  in  addition,  the 
colonies  were  given  a  large  brood-nest,  usually  two  nine-frame  hive  bodies 
and  an  abundance  of  stores.  In  such  cases  European  foul  brood  ceased  to 
be  a  menace.  To  be  sure,  it  kept  the  beekeeper  on  the  alert  to  see  that  no 
colony  became  weakened  or  had  a  poor  queen.  Now,  as  we  well  know,  strong 
colonies  are  the  profitable  ones,  so  it  is  evident  that  European  foul  brood 
makes  a  better  beekeeper  out  of  the  one  that  has  it.  For  this  reason  it  is 
commonly  known  as  a  blessing  in  disguise.  We  admit  that,  when  this  dis- 
ease fii'st  strikes  an  apiary  and  causes  havoc  before  the  beekeeper  can  form 
his  defense,  the  incognito  of  the  blessing  is  complete! 

The  method  of  rearing  queens  to  eradicate  this  disease  is  the  same  as 
already  given,  but  it  is  better  to  introduce  the  ripe  cell  to  the  colony  af- 
fected. Under  no  other  circumstance  do  the  bees  "clean  house"  as  well  as 
when  they  have  a  virgin  queen.  They  clean  and  polish  the  cells  to  make 
ready  for  her  to  deposit  eggs.  Being  without  a  laying  queen  they  have  very 
little  brood  to  attend  to,  so  they  seem  to  devote  all  their  energies  to  cleaning 
out  the  disease. 

The  important  point  in  the  cure  of  European  foul  brood  seems  to  be 
to  have  a  large  number  of  bees  in  proportion  to  the  brood.  In  any  cure  now 
being  used,  this  condition  should  be  present.  When  we  give  a  cell  as 
stated,  we  reduce  the  amount  of  brood 'that  the  colony  has,  by  removing 
the  laying  queen,  thus  making:  the  cleaning  out  easier.  When  the  queen  is 
caged,  the  same  condition  is  brought  about.  In  some  cases  cures  are  effected 
by  putting  the  brood  in  an  upper  story  and  confining  the  queen  to  the  lower- 
story  with  a  queen-excludei-.  The  same  condition  exists,  for  many  of  the 
l)ees  leave  the  queen  so  that  she  slackens  up  on  egg-laying,  thus  reducing 
the  brood.  Many  have  reported  tliat,  by  putting  a  new  swarm  into  n  colony 
affected  with  European  foul  brood,  an  immediate  cure  was  effected.     This: 


BEQUEENING  TO  CURE  EUROPEAN  FOUL  BROOD.— Chap.  XXXIIl 

is  the  same  condition  as  in  the  others,  a  large  number  of  bees  in  proportion 
to  the  brood. 

It  is  noticed  that  the  first  brood  reared  in  the  colony  in  the  spring-  is 
not  diseased.  This  same  condition,  plenty  of  bees  to  clean  out  the  disease, 
is  present.  A  little  later  in  the  season  the  disease  is  at  its  worst.  This  is 
due  to  the  fact  that  the  bees  are  rearing  the  maximum  amount  of  brood  in 
proportion  to  the  bees,  as  the  colony  is  rearing  brood  to  the  fullest  capa- 
city, and  the  old  bees  are  rapidly  dying  off.  If  the  colony  survives  and  is 
built  up  strong,  the  disease  disappears.  This  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the 
queen  has  reached  her  capacity  in  egg-production,  so  the  number  of  bees 
in  proportion  to  the  brood  is  greatly  increased.  However,  if  the  colony  is 
very  weak,  it  is  not  a  good  plan  to  try  to  build  it  up.  Better  unite  it  with 
another  colony.  If  European  foul  brood  is  very  prevalent  in  an  apiary,  I 
would  requeen  the  entire  yard  every  year  until  the  disease  is  stamped 
out.  Then  every  colony  that  is  not  strong  should  be  requeened,  and  if 
disease  shows  in  any  colony  it  should  be  requeened. 

American  Foul  Brood. 

Let  it  be  understood  that  all  which  has  been  said  about  requeening 
to  eliminate  disease  does  not  apply  to  American  foul  brood.  As  this  book 
is  a  treatise  on  queen-rearing,  we  need  not  discuss  American  foul  brood 
but  only  touch  on  one  or  two  points.  American  foul  brood  cannot  be 
cured  by  requeening.  At  the  present  writing,  the  "shaking  treatment"  is 
the  only  cure  advocated.  In  Dr.  E.  F.  Phillip's  excellent  book,  "Beekeep- 
ing," (page  404)  the  disease  and  its  treatment  are  described  in  detail.  Many 
beekeepers  wish  to  requeen  colonies  having  American  foul  brood — not  to 
cure  the  disease,  but  to  replace  the  queen  on  account  of  her  age,  for  a 
good  young  queen  is  needed  in  the  colony  after  losing  all  its  brood  and  hav- 
ing to  build  up  on  foundation.  The  question  is  very  frequently  asked, 
"When  is  the  best  time  to  requeen  a  colony  affected  with  American  foul 
brood — before  shaking  or  after?"  I  recommend  that  they  be  requeened 
after  shaking;  for,  if  a  vigorous  queen  is  introduced  and  allowed  to  lay 
heavily  before  shaking,  she  is  liable  to  be  injured  when  this  is  done  from 
the  fact  that  her  egg-laying  is  suddenly  stopped,  in  the  same  manner  as  a 
queen  laying  heavily  is  injured  by  being  placed  in  a  mailing  cage.  Many 
have  reported  that  queens  that  were  very  prolific  before  the  disease  was 
treated,  were  worthless  after  the  colony  had  been  shaken  for  its  cure.  An- 
other reason  is  that  it  is  not  a  good  policy  to  open  a  colony  affected  with 
American  foul  brood  any  more  than  is  absolutely  necessary,  on  account  of 
the  danger  of  spreading  the  disease  through  robbing.  After  the  colony  has 
been  treated  and  has  several  frames  of  brood,  it  is  a  good  time  to  requeen. 
If  the  Push-in  cage  is  used  it  will  be  necessary  to  get  an  old  black  comb 
from  some  other  cohMiy  on  wliich  to  use  it,  care  being  taken  that  it  is  from 
a  licaltliv  colonv. 


FINISHING  CELLS  IN  QUEENLESS  COLONIES. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 


Sonu'tiiiies,  c-oiiditions  are  not  right  for  builtling  up  colonies  sufficient- 
ly stiong-  to  do  the  best  work  at  finishing  cells  above  an  excluder  in  a  queen- 
right  colony.  Nothing-  but  failure  will  result  in  attempting  to  get  good  cells 
finished  above  an  excluder  if  the  colony  is  not  extra  strong.  If  these  extra- 
strong  colonies  cannot  be  obtained,  good  results  may  be  secured  by  giving 
the  cells  to  a  colony  of  mediuui  strength  made  queenless.  To  use  this 
method  it  is  first  necessaiy  to  get  the  cells  accepted,  as  explained.  Then 
take  one  bar  of  cells,  go  to  the  colony  you  wish  to  use  as  a  finisher  and  re- 
move the  queen,  at  the  same  time  giving  a  l)av  of  cells.  The  bees  will  go 
i-ight  ahead  and  finish  them  in  good  shape. 

The  question  comes  up  whether  this  colony  should  be  queenless  for  a 
few  hours  before  giving  it  the  bar  of  cells.  It  seems  to  make  no  difference, 
as  the  bees  take  right  hold  and  go  to  work  on  the  cells  the  moment  their 
queen  is  removed.  They  seem  to  do  this  through  their  habit  of  comi^leting 
a  job  that  has  been  started.  As  the  queen  is  not  there  to  ])rotest,  the  cells 
are  finished.  This  colony  may  be  used  to  build  a  second  bar  of  cells,  and 
even  a  third,  but  care  must  be  taken  to  see  that  no  cells  of  its  own  are 
allowed  to  furnish  a  queen. 

Finishing  Cells  While  Requeening. 


A  splendii]  plan  for  iiiiishing  cells  is  while  requeening.  (>o  to  a  coluny 
that  is  to  be  requeened.  Kill  tlie  queen,  give  the  colony  a  bar  of  cells  that 
have  been  started  by  the  swarm  box  or  queenless,  broodless  method,  and 
at  the  same  opening  of  the  hive  introduce  a  laying  queen  with  the  Push-in 
cage.  In  four  days,  by  the  time  the  queen  is  accepted,  when  you  go  to 
take  out  the  introducing  cage  the  cells  will  be  sealed.  They  are  taken  out 
and  given  to  some  other  queenless  colony  for  incubation,  or  put  oxer  an 
excluder  above  a  strong  colony  until  ripe  and  ready  to  be  given  to  nuclei.  In 
this  way  j'ou  lose  no  time,  for  the  cells  are  finished  while  you  are  intro- 
ducing a  queen.  I  find  this  very  convenient  late  in  the  season  after  a  honey 
flow  when  the  colonies  are  not  so  strong  as  they  ai-e  earlier  in  the  season. 
As  a  rule,  ten  or  twelve  cells  are  enough  for  the  bees  to  finish  and  do  the 
best  work.  I  never  use  this  method  exclusively,  but  do  so  occasionally  in 
coiiinTH-lio!!  Avith  the  mothod  of  finishini:-  above  an  excluder 


CELL-BUILDING  DURING  A  HEAVY  HONEY  FLOW. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 


All  are  agreed  that  tlie  ideal  time  for  coll-baildins'  is  during-  a  light 
honey  flow.  However,  we  have  1x)  take  the  weather  and  the  honey  flow  as 
they  come,  and  we  seldom  have  a  light  honey  flow  for  any  great  length  of 
time.  When  the  honey  flow  is  beginning:  conditions  are  ideal  for  a  time: 
then,  as  it  increases  until  it  becomes  a  heavy  flow,  the  kind  that  we  all  like 
for  honey  production,  a  nuinber  of  elements  interfere  with  queen-rearing, 
that  must  be  overcome  if  we  would  succeed. 

One  of  these  is  the  scarcity  of  larvae  of  the  gTafting  age,  due  to  the 
fact  that  the  bees  are  gathering  nectar  so  rapidly  that  the  breeding  queen 
is  cramped  for  room  to  lay  eggs.  If  the  case  is  not  too  bad,  an  empty  condj 
inserted  in  the  middle  of  the  brood-nest  of  the  breeding  queen  will  keep  her 
on  the  job  of  eg"g-laying.  If  the  honey  flow  is  heavy,  however,  this  will  do 
little  if  any  good,  for  the  bees  at  once  flood  the  new  comb  with  nectar.  It 
is  their  natural  instinct,  when  an  abundance  of  nectar  is  in  the  blossoms, 
to  gather  it  and  let  everything  else  go,  since  other  things,  such  as  brood- 
rearing,  cell-building  and  propolizing,  can  wait  until  the  rash  of  harvest  is 
over.  Now  this  rush  of  nectar  into  the  hive  is  caused  by  the  field  bees ;  so, 
if  we  wish  to  stop  the  supply  in  the  colony  containing  our  breeding  queen, 
all  that  is  necessary  is  to  remove  the  field  bees  from  the  colony.  This  may 
be  easily  accomijlished  by  moving-  the  colony  out  to  a  new  location.  The 
workers,  upon  returning  from  the  field,  will  go  back  to  their  old  location, 
and,  if  a  hive  is  close  to  the  former  ]iosition  of  their  own  home,  will  enter 
without  hindrance  and  put  the  fruits  of  their  efforts  into  that  hive  instead 
of  the  one  they  formerly  inhal)ited.  The  hive  containing  the  breeding  queen 
will,  in  consequence,  receive  verj-  little  ner-tar  for  several  days.  In  the 
meanwhile,  young  bees  will  emerge,  thereby  making  room  for  the  queen  to 
lay,  and  brood-rearing  can  go  forward  apace.  If  the  honey  flow  continues, 
it  may  be  necessary  to  move  the  hive  several  times  to  keep  the  excess  of 
nectar  from  coming  in. 

Another  difficulty,  caused  by  a  heavy  flow,  is  found  in  the  cell-finishing 
colony.  Wax  will  be  built  all  over  the  cells,  sometimes  completely  covering 
them.  In  this  case,  since  we  want  all  the  bees  possible  in  the  finishing  col- 
ony, it  is  not  advisable  to  move  the  hive  as  was  done  with  that  of  the 
breeding  queen.  The  remedy  in  this  case  is  to  remove  all  combs  as  fast 
as  they  are  filled  with  honey,  being  careful  not  to  take  away  any  brood  since 
that  would  weaken  it.  In  the  place  of  the  combs  removed,  give  empty 
combs.  Foundation  does  not  answer,  for  they  will  feel  ciowded  for  storage 
room  and  continue  to  build  comb  over  the  cells.  If  the  bees  still  build 
comb  around  the  cells,  it  is  evident  that  tliey  are  yet  crowded  and  an  extra 
story  of  empty  combs  should  be  placed  on  top.  Some  extra  lifting  is  neces- 
sitated to  get  at  the  cells,  but  the  results  are  well  worth  the  work  it  involves. 


CELL-BUILDING  DIJIUNG  A  HEAVY  HONEY  FLOW.—Chap.  XXXV. 

Another  difficulty  arising  from  a  heavy  flow  is  found  in  the  nuclei. 
This  is  not  so  serious  as  the  former,  and  the  only  inconvenience  is  that  the 
combs  get  crowded  with  honey  and  bulged  at  the  tops  so  that  they  are 
removed  with  difficulty.  If  only  one  comb  with  a  division-board  feeder  is 
used,  the  bees  will  get  crowded  and  go  over  the  division-board  and  build 
comb  in  the  empty  space.  These  small  bits  of  comb,  when  removed,  may 
be  thrown  into  the  solar  wax-extractor,  and,  if  much  honey  is  placed  in 
the  newly  built  combs,  it  goes  well  with  hot  biscuits  and  is  helped  along 
with  a  glass  of  Jersey  cream !  At  least,  that  rule  holds  good  in  this  local- 
ity. If  much  of  this  honey  is  found,  cut  it  out,  put  it  into  tin  buckets 
and  tell  the  neighbors  about  it.  It  always  moves  off  at  a  good  price.  This 
condition  in  the  nuclei  is  remedied  by  giving  empty  combs  or  foundation. 
I  usually  prefer  to  leave  one  comb  with  them  and  give  them  a  frame  con- 
taining foundation.  If  the  flow  continues,  the  heavy  comb  is  taken  away 
and  another  frame  with  foundation  is  given. 

Cell-Bmlding  at  the  Close  of  the  Honey  Flow. 

By  far  the  most  difficult  period  of  queen-rearing  is  at  the  close  of  the 
honey  flow.  The  flow  has  restricted  brood-rearing,  and  the  fielders  have 
worked  themselves  to  death,  so  that  the  colonies  are  losing  strength  and  the 
proportion  of  young  bees  is  small — two  serious  conditions  in  queen-rearing. 
The  feeders  must  be  brought  into  use  on  the  cell-builders  and  on  the  hives 
containing  bees  for  the  swarm  box.  Search  must  be  made  through  other 
colonies  to  find  frames  containing  brood,  which  will  be  scarce  for  the  reason 
that  all  have  retrenched  in  brood-rearing.  Some  colonies  have  more  brood 
than  others.  All  combs  not  containing  brood  should  be  taken  out  and  re- 
placed with  brood.  If  this  is  done  after  an  early  honey  flow,  such  as  white 
or  sweet  clover,  cell-building  will  go  on  nearly  as  well  as  at  any  other  time. 

After  a  fall  flow,  to  keep  the  bees  interested  in  the  queen  business  is 
much  more  difficult.  Finishing  cells  in  a  colony  made  queenless  may  be 
necessary.  In  case  a  few  flowers,  such  as  asters  or  goldenrod  that  the  bees 
may  work  on,  still  bloom  the  queen-rearing  season  may  be  jirolonged.  If 
brood  can  be  secured  good  cells  can  be  built,  but  cold  weather  and  a  scar- 
city of  drones  make  queen-mating  difficult. 


THE  QUALITY  OF  QUEENS. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 


Riding    them 


lestruction. 


It  is  a  veiy  simple  matter  to  rear  queens  that  are  just  "queens";  but 
(o  rear  the  very  best,  those  that  are  long-lived  and  prolific,  and  to  do  this 
with  uniformity  under  the  changing  seasons  and  weather,  require  not  only 
skill  and  experience  but  eternal  vigilance  which  is  the  price  of  success. 
Bees  observe  the  change  in  nectar  secretion  much  more  readily  than  the 
beekeeper.  From  all  appearances  the  honey  flow  is  at  its  height,  with  no 
indications  of  slacking*  up  as  far  as  the  beekeeper  can  see,  but  the  worker 

liees  may  be  seen  astraddle  of  the 
drones,  riding  them  to  destruc- 
tion. The  workers  see  the  slack- 
ening of  the  flow.  As  the  only 
opportunity  that  the  drones 
might  have  had  is  past  and  they 
will  have  outlived  their  useful- 
ness before  any  more  queens  are 
reared,  the  bees  seem  to  reason, 
''Why  keep  these  drones  around 
to  eat  up  the  profits'?"  so  the 
poor  fellows  are  driven  out  to 
starve.  When  the  apiarist  sees 
this  condition  he  should  put  on 
the  feedei'S,  or  a  poor  batch  of  cells  will  be  the  result. 

It  is  the  easiest  matter  imaginable  to  rear  poor  queens.  I  have  seen 
queens  in  every  stage  of  size  and  quality  from  a  worker  up  to  the  very 
finest.  Upon  several  occasions  I  observed,  in  nuclei,  virgin  queens,  if  we 
may  call  them  queens,  that  were  no  larger  than  workers.  The  only  way  I 
could  tell  that  they  had  a  touch  of  queen  make-up  in  their  nature  was  the 
shape  of  the  abdomen,  which  was  more  pointed  than  a  worker's,  and  the 
color  was  a  little  different,  showing  more  yellow.  The  first  one  of  these  I 
found  w-as  a  puzzler  to  me.  I  had  taken  out  a  laying  queen  and  introduced 
a  cell  in  the  regular  way.  When  I  looked  three  daj^s  later  the  cell  was  torn 
down,  and  then  it  was  that  I  discovered  this  pygmy  queen.  I  left  her  to  see 
what  would  become  of  her.  She  disappeared  about  mating  time,  as  did 
the  few  others  that  were  discovered  later.  Xow  this  pygmy  queen  emerged 
from  a  regular  worker-cell,  as  no  sign  of  a  queen-eell  or  an  enlarged  worker- 
cell  could  be  seen. 

I  believe  the  pygTay  queen  was  reared  in  this  way:  When  the  laying 
queen  was  removed,  the  bees  began  to  feed  some  of  the  larvae  profusely 
with  royal  jelly  preparatory  to  rearing  queens.  When  the  queen-eell  was 
given  and  the  virgin  emerged,  these  larvae  that  were  given  the  extra  feed 
or  royal  jelly  were  not  destroyed  but  were  left  to  go  on  and  develop  as 


THE  QUALITY  OF  QUEENS.— Chapter  XXXVI. 

workers;  but,  as  they  had  received  more  of  the  queen  food  tluiii  a  well- 
regulated  worker  should,  they  took  on  a  slight  character  of  a  queen.  Tliey 
haye  just  enough  queen  nature  in  them  to  object  to  the  presence  of  a 
queen-cell.  Now,  why  was  this  queen  so  small?  Simply  from  the  fact  that 
she  received  such  a  scant  supply  of  royal  jelly. 

I  mention  this  occurrence  to  show  that  all  grades  of  queens  can  be 
reared,  with  no  distinct  line  between  a  worker  and  a  queen.  If  the  larvae 
are  not  supplied  with  food  in  abundance,  inferior  queezis  result.  Then 
there  are  other  grades  of  queens,  a  little  larger  than  the  pygmies,  which 
emerge  from  a  queen-cell,  but  they  have  been  skimped  in  their  food  supply. 
These  will  be  missing  at  mating  time.  Some  are  killed  by  the  workers, 
that  seem  to  realize  the  queen  is  worthless.  Queens  a  little  larger  can  be 
reared,  and  the  percentage  that  is  missing  at  mating  time  is  large. 

Those  that  do  mate  and  lay  are  very  inferior,  laying  very  sparingly. 
They  are  usually  sujierseded  soon;  but,  if  it  is  late  in  the  season,  they  die 
in  the  winter  and  the  colony  comes  out  in  the  spring  with  laying  workers. 
Then  there  are  queens  a  grade  hig'her  that  are  fair  layers.  Next,  there  are 
good  layers,  and  so  on  up  the  line  until  we  get  to  the  very  best,  that  will 
keep  a  large  brood-chamber  packed  full  of  bees  and  produce  a  colony  that 
makes  several  hundred  pounds  of  surplus  honey  above  the  average.  These 
are  the  queens  that  bring  you  the  profit  and  the  ones  you  can  raise  if  you 
play  the  game  according  to  the  rules  laid  down  by  the  bees. 


DRONES. 

CHAPTER  XXXVTT. 


All  recognize  the  fact  that  the  drone  has  as  much  to  contribute  toward 
keeping  up  the  stock  as  the  queen.  Placing  drone  combs  in  colonies  con- 
taining the  best  queens  has  been  advocated  to  rear  drones.  If  this  is  done 
in  a  large  way  and  drone  comb  given  to  a  large  number  of  colonies,  good 
results  may  be  olitained.  I  believe  a  much  better  ])lan,  howevei-,  is  to  re- 
queen  the  entire  yard  systematically  and  i-esti'ict  the  drones  as  much  as 
possible  by  using  full  sheets  of  foundation.  Enough  drones  will  be  reared, 
and  no  colony  will  be  injured,  as  would  be  the  case  if  a  lot  of  drone  combs 
were  allowed  in  a  number  of  colonies. 

Of  course,  if  you  are  able  to  keep  all  drone  comb  out  of  the  colonies, 
some  provision  would  have  to  be  made  for  rearing  drones,  but  I  have  yet 
to  see  a  colony  that  could  not  rear  a  few.  Many  say  that,  if  they  do  have 
all  pure  drones,  it  would  do  little  good  as  their  neighbors  have  hybrids  and 
blacks.  There  are  many  times  Avhen  this  would  prevent  pure  mating  of 
queens,  but  in  many  cases  it  would  not.  We  are  finding  out  that  queens  do 
not  go  so  far  to  mate  as  was  formerly  supposed.  A  number  have  reported 
seeing  queens  mate  within  a  very  few  feet  of  their  hives.  I  have  witnessed 
the  same  thing.  If  there  are  no  bees  nearer  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  and, 
if  you  have  all  pure  drones  in  your  own  yard,  my  experience  would  prompt 
me  to  say  that  you  will  have  very  little  mismating. 

As  in  the  case  of  American  foul  brood,  a  lot  is  laid  to  the  neighbors 
that  rightfully  belongs  to  yourself.  I  have  had  several  amusing  expeii- 
ences  concerning  the  aljove.  One  man  said  he  could  not  get  rid  of  American 
foul  brood  because  his  bees  got  it  from  his  neighbor  a  couple  of  miles 
away;  and  when  I  called  on  that  neighbor,  he  told  me  the  same  thing  about 
the  beekeeper  to  whom  I  first  talked.  It  was  evident  that  botli  were 
spreading  infection  among  their  own  bees.  So  it  is  in  the  case  of  drones ; 
see  that  all  drones  in  your  own  yard  are  pure  and  you  will  be  surprised  at 
the  few  mismatings  which  will  occur.  Of  course,  it  "is  still  more  desirable  if 
you  can  get  the  co-operation  of  your  neighbor  and  interest  him  in  better 
bees.  Get  him  to  requeen  I)y  rearing  his  own,  or  you  can  rear  them  and 
sell  to  him. 


MORE  THAN  ONE  QUEEN  IN  A  HIVE. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI] I. 


Normally,  bees  permit  but  one  queen  in  a  hive.  Frequently,  however, 
during  supersedure  the  old  queen  lemains  for  some  time  after  her  daugh- 
ter is  mated  and  laying.  In  such  eases  the  old  queen  is  so  incapacitated  that 
the  bees  and  young  queen  do  not  seem  to  recognize  her  as  a  queen,  and  pay 
no  attention  to  her.  These  old  queens  may  be  dropped  into  any  queenless 
colony  and  are  generally  accepted.  They  may  be  utilized  in  this  manner 
to  carry  a  colony  along  until  it  can  be  requeened  with  a  good  queen. 

Sometimes  a  freak  case  seems  to  violate  all  general  rules.  1  ha\e 
known  two  virgins  to  emei'ge  in  a  hive  and  be  the  best  of  friends.  They 
would  mate  and  lay  for  quite  a  while;  but  sooner  or  later  the  bees  decide 
this  state  of  affairs  is  irregular  and  kill  one  of  them.  Sometimes  two 
queens  get  into  the  same  hive  upon  returning  from  their  mating  flight. 
They  get  along  together  for  a  while;  but  after  a  time  the  Ijees  decide  they 
cannot  serve  two  masters.  One  faction  balls  one  queen,  the  other  faction 
the  other;  thus  both  queens  are  so  badly  crippled  that  they  have  to  be 
removed.  I  remember  once  when  one  queen  had  both  wings  nipped  off 
close  to  her  body  and  the  other  queen  lost  both  legs  on  the  same  side.  The 
bees  were  satisfied  then  and  seemed  to  think  that  these  two  queens,  since 
they  both  had  been  trimmed,  were  about  equal  to  one  good  one. 

A  number  of  years  ago  there  was  considerable  talk  about  the  possi- 
bility of  having  several  queens  in  one  hive,  and  quite  a  good  deal  of  ex- 
jDerimenting  along  that  line  was  done  by  many  beekeepers.  If  it  were  pos- 
sible to  winter  over  fifty  or  one  hundred  queens  in  one  hive  and  then  have 
them  to  supply  the  demand  for  queens  early  the  next  spring,  why,  it  was 
worth  working  for.  Personally  I  was  much  interested.  I  used  up  all  the 
old  queens  I  had  left  from  requeening  and  sacrificed  several  dozen  good 
young  ones.  I  learned  some  very  interesting  things  but  little  of  economic 
importance.  I  learned  it  was  not  difficult  to  introduce  queens  to  each 
other,  so  they  would  be  friends,  yes,  regular  old  cronies,  always  working 
together,  and  usually  found  on  the  same  comb.  The  only  discovery  of 
importance  was  the  fact  that  it  is  the  bees  that  make  plural  queens  in  a 
hive  impossible. 

True,  the  queens  usually  fight,  but  they  can  be  introduced  to  each  other. 
However,  the  bees  will  swear  allegiance  to  only  one  queen  and  declare  war 
on  all  others.  Once  I  put  twelve  queens  in  a  Mason  jar  to  see  what  would 
happen.  They  began  to  fight,  so  I  shook  them  around  until  they  were  tired. 
Five  had  been  killed.  The  other  seven  called  an  armistice  and  apparently 
signed  a  treaty  that  was  satisfactory  to  all.  They  probably  laid  the  trouble 
to  the  dead  ones  entireh^  They  held  out  their  tongues  to  each  other  and 
always  clustered  together.  Xow,  I  thought,  my  troubles  were  over,  for  I 
knew  I  could  safely  introduce  them.    I  took  six  frames  of  emerging  brood. 


MOEE  THAX  ONE  QUEEN  I.\  .1  HJVE.-^Chaplcr  XXXVIIl. 

brushed  off  all  of  the  bees,  put  the  frames  into  a  hive  and  turned  loose  the 
seven  queens.  They  staid  together  on  one  frame  of  brood,  and,  as  they 
emerged,  they  all  began  to  lay.  They  certainly  did  furnish  a  generous  sup- 
ply of  eggs,  placing  many  in  each  cell.  Now  I  reasoned  that,  as  the  young 
bees  emerged,  they  would  never  know  how  many  queens  they  were  supjDOsed 
to  have  and  would  accept  the  seven  all  right. 

Things  Avent  well  for  about  two  weeks,  when  this  small  colony  began 
to  assume  the  proportions  of  a  real  one.  Then  trouble  developed  very  rap- 
idly. Having  arrived  at  the  age  of  accountability,  the  bees  decided  there 
were  too  many  queens.  This  multiplicity  of  stepmothers  was  intolerable, 
so  they  killed  one.  In  a  few  days  they  killed  another,  then  another.  I 
carefully  examined  them  and  found  them  balling  another.  For  nearly  a 
month  this  weeding  process  to  get  down  to  one  queen  continued,  but  they 
finally  did  it  and  saved  the  youngest  and  best. 

In  concluding  this  subject,  I  wish  to  give  as  my  opinion  that  it  is  indeed 
useless  to  try  to  get  the  bees  to  tolerate  more  than  one  queen  for  any  time 
long  enough  to  do  any  real  good  to  the  colony.  The  above  is  given  that  it 
may  save  others  costly  experimenting.  Of  course,  if  one  wishes  to  experi- 
ment merely  for  the  fun  of  the  thing,  that  is  a  different  story. 

In  one  experiment  the  stings  of  two  virgins  were  clipped.  These  vir- 
gins could  not  fight,  but  mercy,  how  they  did  wrestle!  The  bees  stood  aside 
merely  interested  bystanders  until  one  of  the  vii'gins  began  to  squeal,  when 
the  workers  closed  in  and  balled  both  Cjueens  and  injured  them  so  it  was 
necessary  to  replace  them. 

As  stated,  an  old  queen  is  readily  accepted.  Usually  when  a  queen 
gets  old  and  lays  but  few  eggs,  she  is  killed  by  the  queen  that  supersedes 
her  or  dies  a  natural  death.  I  observed  one  notable  excej^tion,  however.  I 
requeened  a  colony  yearly  for  two  years  and  then  found  an  old  queen 
in  the  hive  that  had  been  there  for  four  years.  I  could  tell  her  by  the 
manner  in  which  her  wings  were  clipped.  She  had  been  in  the  colony,  and 
a  young  queen  was  reared  to  supersede  her.  This  queen  Avas  removed  when 
one  year  old ;  and  another,  a  year  later.  As  far  as  I  could  observe,  this  old 
queen  had  ceased  laying  altogether  and  was  treated  with  absolute  indiffer- 
ence by  botli  bees  and  queens. 


WHEN  TO  REQUEEN. 


CHAPTER  XXXTX. 


The  question  is  asked  many  times,  "When  is  the  best  time  to  re- 
queen?"  The  answer  depends  upon  the  strength  of  the  colony  and  upon 
the  location.  From  the  hititude  of  St.  Louis  south,  when  the  colony  is 
strong-,  late  requeening  is  desirable.  Jn  fact,  the  later  the  liettei-.  In  such 
a  ease  no  benefit  will  result  to  the  colony  requeened  that  season,  for  the 
queen  would  lay  little  if  any  before  spring.  Being  strong,  the  colony  would 
have  plenty  of  bees  to  come  through  the  winter  in  good  condition.  The 
queen  would  begin  laying  early  in  the  spring  and  have  the  colony  on  the  job 
for  the  first  honey  flow.  If  the  colony  is  of  medium  strength  requeening  is 
preferable  about  August  first,  for  then  there  is  time  to  build  up  and  go  into 
winter  quarters  with  young  bees. 

Further  north,  requeening  should  be  done  in  August,  for,  on  account  of 
the  long  winter,  it  is  desirable  to  have  as  many  young  bees  as  i^ossible  to 
carry  the  colony  safely  through,  as  young  bees  not  only  live  longer  but  stand 
confinement  better  than  old  ones.  In  the  north,  if  the  colony  is  not  strong 
it  should  be  requeened  in  June  or  July,  depending  on  its  strength.  In  case 
one  wishes  to  build  up  a  weak  colony  for  a  fall  flow,  the  earlier  it  is  re- 
queened in  the  season  the  better.  Some  of  the  colonies  that  have  done  the 
-best  work  for  me  in  a  honey  flow  from  sweet  clover  in  June  were  requeened 
in  November  of  the  previous  year.  They  Avere  strong  when  they  were 
requeened. 

In  many  parts  of  California,  the  colonies  run  down  near  the  close  of 
the  season,  winter  poorly  and  build  up  on  the  first  honey  flow  in  the  spring, 
thus  failing  to  get  a  sur])lus  from  that  flow.  In  such  cases  if  the  colony 
were  requeened  in  August  and  given  plenty  of  stores,  the  queen  would  build 
up  the  colony  to  good  strength  for  winter.  She  would  take  a  rest  until 
January  or  February  and  then  build  the  colony  up  strong,  ready  to  give  a 
surjilus  from  the  first  flow. 

Now  from  the  fact  that  it  has  been  advised  to  requeen  early  in  the 
season,  many  get  the  impression  that  it  is  not  a  good  plan  to  i-equeen  late 
in  the  season,  even  if  the  colony  has  a  poor  queen.  This  is  not  correct,  for 
a  good  young  queen  is  always  better  than  an  old  one.  Therefore,  late  in 
the  season,  if  you  discover  any  colonies  that  have  inferior  queens,  by  all 
means  replace  them  with  young  ones  if  they  can  be  procured.  If  the  colony 
is  weak,  it  is  probably  better  to  kill  the  queen  and  unite  it  with  another.  If 
the  colony  is  of  good  strength  and  a  queen  is  introduced  in  October  or  Xo- 
vembei',  she  would  be  in  the  very  best  condition  to  build  u]i  Hint  colony  to 
gxeat  strength  early  the  following  s])ring. 

How  Often  to  Requeen. 

A  great  difference  o\'  opinion  exists  as  to  how  often  to  lequeen.  Some 
say  requeen  every  year;  some  say,  every  second  year;  and  some  say,  re- 


WTIEX  TO  liEQUEEN.— Chapter  XXXIX. 

queen  only  the  colonies  that  have  poor  queens;  while  others  say,  let  the 
bees  do  it" theu)selves.  Circumstances  have  to  determine;  but  it  is  safe  to 
say  that  there  should  be  vastly  more  requeening  than  is  practiced  at  pres- 
ent. 1  believe  in  most  parts  of  California  the  honey  crop  could  be  doubled 
if  eacli  colony  would  be  requeened  every  year  with  good  Italian  queens 
reared  by  the  beekeeper  himself,  especially  if  a  large  brood-nest  full  of 
stores  should  be  provided. 

In  many  other  parts  of  the  United  States,  the  same  or  similai'  condi- 
tions prevail.  In  the  far  north  where  the  queen  is  idle  such  a  long  period 
in  the  winter,  possibly  it  does  as  well  to  I'eciucen  every  two  years  as  to  do  so 
every  year  where  the  honey  season  is  longer  and  the  queen  kept  on  the  job 
ten  months.  In  this  locality  I  have  found  it  profitable  to  requeen  every 
year,  with  an  exceptional  case  where  queens  of  unusual  qualities  are 
found  which  are  desired  for  breeders.  I  believe  a  good  rule  that  applies  to 
all  localities  is  to  go  over  all  colonies  each  year  and  replace  every  queen 
that  is  not  the  very  best.  In  case  a  queen  has  a  big  brood-nest  packed 
Avitli  brood,  is  large  and  has  all  indications  of  being  a  splendid,  prolifie 
queen,  I  would  leave  her  another  year.  One  can  usually  tell  by  the  size  and 
general  appearance  of  a  queen  whether  she  is  to  be  trusted  to  do  the  best 
work  for  another  year  or  not.  If  there  is  any  doubt  about  it,  err  on  the 
safe  side  and  requeen.  Another  point,  that  should  not  be  lost  sight  of  in 
requeening,  is  that  one  can  continually  improve  his  bees  by  breeding  from 
the  best.  We  should  also  keep  in  mind,  if  we  re(|ueen  every  year  and  keep 
all  colonies  strong,  we  shall  not  have  to  '-cure"  Kuroiean  foul  brood,  be- 
cause we  will  prevent  it. 

Some  have  advocated  that  the  best  breeder  is  the  one  that  lives  the  long- 
est. Now  that  depends  on  the  amount  of  work  she  has  done.  I  believe  the 
best  beekeeper  is  the  man  who  can  get  the  most  eggs  out  of  a  queen  in  the 
shortest  time.  If  managed  properly,  the  queen  should  lay  the  bulk  of  her 
eggs  the  first  year.  In  the  north  exceptional  queens  do  well  the  second 
year;  but,  if  a  queen  does  even  fair  work  the  third  year,  it  is  evident  she 
was  not  worked  as  she  should  have  been  during  the  two  years  previous. 
.  Sometimes  beekeepers  believe  they  have  discoxered  an  exce]itional  (|ueeii 
from  the  fact  that  slie  lived  four  or  live  years.  Possibly  the  i-jueen  vas 
a  good  one;  but  I  have  some  doubts  alujut  the  I)eekeei)er  himself,  for,  if 
he  had  given  her  a  chance,  she  could  have  dom^  her  work  in  one  or  two 
vears  instead  of  loafing  along  for  four  or  five. 


COMMERCIAL  QUEEN-REARING. 


CHAPTER  XL. 


The  question  is  frequently  asked,  "Does  commercial  queen-rearing 
pay?"  So  much  depends  upon  the  person  and  locality  that  it  is  difficult  to 
answer  this  question  in  a  satisfactory  manner.  If  one  is  in  a  reasonably 
good  honey-producing  location,  he  can  make  much  more  money  at  honey 
production.  Much  more  skill  and  experience  are  required  to  make  a  suc- 
cess of  queen-rearing-  than  to  make  a  success  of  honey  production.  How- 
ever, as  we  believe  every  honey  producer  should  learn  the  queen-rearing 
business,  some  will  prefer  queen-rearing. 

The  main  requirement  for  a  successful  commercial  queen-breeder  is  a 
love  for  the  business.  If  he  has  that,  no  obstacle  is  too  great  for  him  to 
overcome.  The  many  difficulties  in  queen-rearing  on  account  of  failures  in 
the  honey  flow  and  unfavorable  weather  conditions  will  cause  all  but  the 
stoutest  hearts  to  throw  up  the  business  in  disgust.  However,  some  prefer 
to  engage  in  the  queen  business  for  the  enjoyment  and  satisfaction  they 
get  out  of  it,  even  if  the  financial  returns  are  not  so  great  as  in  honey  pro- 
duction. To  attend  to  an  ordinary  queen  trade  requires  the  handling  of 
many  details,  much  time  must  be  given  to  bookkeeping  and  correspondence ; 
therefore,  additional  help  is  required  in  these  lines.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  demand  for  queens  of  high  quality  is  great,  and  a  good  queen-breeder 
should  experience  no  trouble  in  disposing  of  his  output. 

Queen-rearing  involves  no  heavy  work,  but  it  is  an  exceedingly  busy 
job  while  the  season  lasts.  It  is  an  ideal  occupation  for  women  or  men 
who  cannot  do  heavy  work,  but  who  are  willing  to  be  on  the  job  early  and 
late  during  the  queen-rearing  season.  It  is  not  a  "get  rich  quick"  occupa- 
tion and  takes  a  number  of  years  of  careful  study  and  experimenting  before 
one  can  get  things  lined  up  and  moving  smoothly.  Considerable  expense  is 
connected  with  it  for  office  help,  shipping  cages  and  other  supplies,  sta- 
tionery, and  for  sugar  with  which  to  feed  the  bees  in  cell-building  and 
swarm-box  colonies.  The  honey  crop  largely  has  to  be  sacrificed,  for,  as 
one  uses  brood  to  form  nuclei,  the  colonies,  thus  weakened  by  the  loss  of 
such  brood,  will  do  well  if  they  build  up  strong  and  make  enough  honey  to 
carry  them  over  to  the  next  season.  This  holds  true  in  a  season  when  the 
honey  flow  is  good.  In  a  poor  season  large  quantities  of  sugar  must  be  pur- 
chased to  build  u])  the  colonies  and  provide  winter  stores. 

Locality  plays  an  important  part.  Many. localities  similar  1o  ours  have 
a  succession  of  liglit  honey  flows  which  are  suitable  to  <|ueen- rearing,  but 
not  heavy  enough  to  give  a  surplus.  For  instance,  our  season  opens  with 
peach  bloom  followed  by  pear,  apple,  locust  and  a  little  tulip  tree  and 
tupelo.  Then  come  white  clover  and  alsike,  which  are  very  uncertain,  and 
are  frequently  mixed  with  a  vile  honeydew  that  ruins  the  honey  for  market. 
Sweet  clover  is  next,  followed  by  a  short  dearth.    Sometinies  a  little  honev 


COMMERCIAL  QUEEN-REARING.— Chapter  XL. 

comes  from  unknown  sources,  probably  from  thoroughwort,  fi<i;wort  or 
ironweecl.  Then  a  little  climbing  milkweed  or  blue  vine  is  followed  by 
the  heaviest  flow  we  have,  heartsease.  This  flow  rapidly  tapers  off  into  aster 
and  goldenrod.  If  one  is  in  a  locality  where  there  is  but  one  heavy  flow, 
he  will  do  much  better  at  honey  production,  since  queen-rearing  during  a 
dearth  of  pasture  for  any  length  of  time  is  both  difficult  and  expensive. 

Personally,  queen-rearing  is  so  fascinating  and  enjoyable  that  I  would 
prefer  to  rear  queens,  even  if  the  financial  returns  were  but  one-half  as 
much  as  from  honey  production;  for,  after  all,  it  is  the  pleasure  we  get  out 
of  life,  not  the  money,  that  counts.  We  should  follow  that  occupation 
which  we  most  enjoy. 

After  all,  what  is  money  for  ?  To  puiohase  enjoyment  in  one  form  or 
anothei-.  Therefore,  if  we  are  getting  the  enjoyment  from  our  occupation 
direct,  it  is  the  same  as  money  and  we  save  the  middleman's  profit. 

To  the  conmiercial  honey  producer,  I  can  truthfully  say  I  believe  theie 
is  a  bright  future  for  him.  More  and  more  we  see  health  experts  call 
attention  to  the  value  of  honey  as  a  wholesome  hygienic  food  for  young 
and  old,  for  the  ill  and  well.  Let  us  all  co-operate  to  get  honey  into 
more  homes  as  a  regular  diet,  at  a  reasonable  price.  Especially  should  we 
practice  better  methods  of  honey  production.  First,  increase  our  output 
per  colony  and  then  increase  the  number  of  our  colonies.  With  these  im- 
provements, there  is  no  reason  why  beekeeping  should  not  he  profita])le 
and,  as  Dr.  Miller  used  ot  say.  "Just  think  of  the  fun  I  have  liad." 


INDEX 


A 

Accidents    in    Queen-reiiriiis' 65 

Achord    Queen-rearing    Ai)iary 50 

Artificial    Cups,    Easier    to    Handle....  17 

B 

Bal.y   Nuclei.   Not  a   Success 47 

Basis     of     Queen-rearing 67 

Bees    for    Cell-building 27,  28 

Beeswax    Right    for    Cells 21 

Benton     Mailing    Cage 73 

Blocks   of   Wood    for  Record-keeping..  67 

Blocks.    Position,    to   Show  Record....  69 
Bottom-board.  How  to  Make  Over  into 

a    Feeder    104 

Box   for  Holding  Combs 61,  62 

C 

Cages   for   Mailing   Queens 73.  74 

Caging    Queens     78,  79 

Calendar    for    Queen-rearing 46 

CANDY 

for  Mailing  Cages 75,   76,  77 

for   Mailing   Queens 74 

How  to  Make  for  Queen   Cages..  76.  77 

CELL 

Ideal     20 

Introduction     *.  .  .  56-  60 

Method    of  Requeening 97.  98 

Protector,    a    Hindrance 52 

Protector,  when  Useful 97 

Starting      by      the      Queenless      and 

Broodless   Method    43.   44,  45 

Starting    Colony,     Pritchard 43 

CELL  BUILDING 

at   Close    of    the   Honey    Flow 110 

Conditions    for 27,  28 

During    Heavy    Honey    Flow 109 

Feeding   for    27,  28 

CELL  CUPS 

Artificial    96,  97 

Artificial,    Easier   to    Handle 17 

Commercial    96 

Grafting     .36-  40 

Suggestions    for    Making 22 

CELL   DIPPING 

of    Sticks     20 

Outfit    for    19,  20 

CELL  FINISHING 

Colonie.s      29 

in    Queenless   Colonies 108 

while  Requeening    108 

CELLS 

Best    Shape    of 21 

for    Laying    Queens 97 

from   a    Swarm 15 

How  to   Make  the  Bees   Accept.  .  .  . 

39,    40,  r>?, 

Importance    of    Abundant 64 

Number   Accepted    41 

Number   Colony   Can    Finish 31 

Proper  Care  of 53 

Proper   Shape  and   Size 20 

Protection    of     53 

Surplus,  What  to  do   With 64 


Why   Accepted    in    Swarm   Box 34 

Why    Bees    Tear    Down 56 

Why    Torn    Down 59,    60 

CLIPPING 

Does  It  Injure  a  Queen  ? 82 

How    to    Proceed 82,   83 

Must  Not  be  Practiced  on  Virgins..    83 

Queens    by   a   Beginner 80,    81 

Colonies    for    Cell-finishing 20 

Colonies   Packed   in  Quadruple  Cases..    70 

Conib   Box  and   its  Uses 61,   62 

Combs.    Care    of 95 

Combs,  How  to  Make  the  Bees  Mend.. 100 
Comn:ercial      Queen-rearing,      Does      it 

Pay! .113 

CONDITIONS 

Favorable    for    Queen-rearing 11 

for    Getting    Cells 39.    40 

Suitable    for    Queen-rearing 13 

D 

Dipping   Cells     19.    20.    21 

Doolittle    Cage    for    Introducing 86 

Doolittle   on    Queen    Introduction 84 

Doolittle's  Modified  Cell-Starting  Col- 
ony          44 

Drones     for     Queen-rearing 113 

Dungeon,   for   Swarm  Box 34 

E 

Emergency  Method  of  Rearing  Queens 
12.    15 

European  Foul  Brood,  How  to  Cure.. 
106. 107 

Entrance   Blocks    for    Nuclei 49 

F 

FEEDINc; 

and    Feeders     10  1.    105 

before    Forming    Nuclei 62 

Bottom-board    Style    of 104 

for   Cell-building.  ..  .27.   28.    39,    59.    60 

for   Cell-finishing   Colonies 30.   36 

for    Winter     10  5 

Importance   of.    for  Good   Queens...    31 

Feeding  to   Get   Cells   Accepted ....  57.    58 

FOUL  BROOD 

American.    Not    Cured    by    Re-queen- 
ing      107 

and    Neighbors     113 

European,    Cured   liy    Requeening... 
106. 107 

G 

GRAFTING 

Best    Place   for    .  .  .  .' 3fi 

Cell   Cup.s    36-  40 

How    to    Proceed 37.  38 

Larva     38 

Method     14 

Method    of    Raising    Queens 16,  17 

of  the  Larvae ...  20 

Outfit     ■.  .  .  .  36 

Room      3  7 


JXDFX 


H 

Hive   Body    for   a    Nucleus Ifili.  lO:! 

Hive    Nucle\i.s    for    Queen  reariiif; ..  47-  50 

HONEY 

as   a   Food 110 

Production   Dependent    on    Queens..  9 

Strain   of   Queens 10 

I 

Instinct    of  the  Bees   in   TeariuK   Down 

Cells      5f) 

TXTRODUCING 

Cause    of    Failure 91 

Doolittle    Cage    for 86 

Drowning    Method     84 

Emerging  Brood   Method 00 

Honey   Method    84 

Laying  Workers    90 

Loss    from    8.t 

^[ailing    Cage    for 85 

Miller    Cage    for 87 

Push-in-theComb   Ca.ge   for 87 

Queens     84-  92 

Smith  Cage  for 87.  88.  89 

Starvation    Method    84 

Invert   Sugar  for  Queen  Cage  Candy.  .  76 

Italian    Bees    Much    Superior 9 

J 

Jelly.    Royal 23.  24 

Jelly    Spoons.    How    Made 36 

L 

LARVA 

How    to    Pick    Up :38 

Right  Size  for  Grafting 38 

to   Pupa    54 

Laying   Workers    in   Nuclei 71 

Letter   Writing   in   Queen-rearing 65 

Locality  and   its  Effect  on  Queen-rear- 
ing   ". 118 

M 
MAILING 

Cage    for    Introducing 85 

Cages    for    Queens 73.  74 

Cages.   Why  Queens   Die  in 92 

Queens   Laying   in    Full   Capacity...  72 

Mending  Damaged  Combs lOd,  101 

Misfortunes  of  the  Queen-brei'der  .  .65.  66 

N 

NUCLEI 

Baby      47 

Care  of    71.  72 

Disposing  of.  at   Close  of  Season.  .  .  93 

Forming     61 

Inii)ortance    of   Being    Strong 60 

Laying    Workers    in 71 

Made   of   Standard   Hive  Bodies.  .  .  .102 

Packing    Cases    for 94 

■  Where    to    be    Located 61 

Why   Tear  Down   Cells 59.  60 

NUCLEUS 

Hives    for    Queen -rearing 4  7-  50 

Hives   with    Standard   Frames 48 

Root    Twin     Mating 47 

Nursery    Cages    for  Virgins 51 

r 

Pritchard   Cell-Starting  Colony 43-  45 

Pritchard,    the    Queen-breeder 96,  97 


Program    in    Queen-rearing 71 

Program.    Our    Daily 46 

Q 

QUEEN 

Cage    Candy     75.    76,    77 

Cells,  How  Destroyed 11,   12 

Clipping,   is   it   Injurious  ? 82 

Does    She    Sting   Herself? 79 

Flights      12 

Introduction    (see    Introducing). 
Laying  to  Pull  Capacity  When   Sent 

by  Mail    72 

Loss    in    Introducing 85 

Mailing    Cages 73.    74 

Rearing.   Affected  by   Locality .  .118.  119 

Rearing  and  Robber  Bees 66 

Rearing    Apiary.    Roof 17 

Rearing,    Commercial     118.119 

Rearing.    Commercial     (see    Commer- 
cial   Queen-rearing). 
Rearing.   Conditions  Favorable  for..    11 

Rearing   for   Honey   Producer 96 

Rearing   for   Small   Beekeeper 15 

Rearing  from  Commercial  Cell  Cups   96 

Rearing    in    Bad    Weather 65 

Rearing.     More     Successful     During 

the  Honey  Flow 60 

Rearing.   Successful  Under  Feeding.    60 
Rearing.   Winter   Work   for 18 

Queenless    and    Broodless    Method    of 
Cell-starting     43,    44.    45 

Queenless  Colonies  for  Cell-finishing.  .  108 

QUEENS 

Caging    78.    79 

Cataleptic .    79 

Development    of    54 

Emergency     12 

First   Aid   to  Beekeeper 117 

from  Supersedure    13 

from    Swarming    Cells 15 

from    Swarming    Impulse 13 

How   Far   to   Mate 61 

How    to    Pick   Up 82 

How   to   Select   the   Best 10 

Importance    of    Good 9 

Introducing     84-    92 

Plurality  of.   in   the  Hive.  .12.    114.115 

Quality   of    111.112 

Replacing      97 

Shape    of    10 

Size    of     10 

When    They    Get    Along   Togetlier    in 

the   Same  Hive 114.  1  15 

Why    Die    in    Mailing   Cage 92 

Why    Inferior     11,  112 

Young.    Prevent    Swarming 97 

B 

Rearing  Queens  on  a  Large  Scale.  ...    18 

Records  for  Queen-rearing 67-   70 

REQUEENING     97,    98 

by  the   Swarming   Method 15 

Colonies   About  to   Swarm 97 

Every  Two  Years 115 

How    Often    116.117 

to   Cure  European    Foul    Bro<id.l06,  107 

When   to   Do 116 

Robber  Bees    in   Queen-rearing 66 

Root's  Basswood  Queen-rearing  Apiarj'    17 

Root's    Grapevine    Apiary 35 

ROYAL    JELLY .23,    24 

How    to    Prepare   it 23 

Where   to   Secure 24 


INDEX 


s 

Shade   for   Nuclei 49 

Smith    Case   for   Introducing 88,    80 

Smith   Cagre.   Why   it   "Works 90 

Sugar   for   Making   Queen   Cage   Candy   75 

Supiilementary     Topics 96-101 

SWARM   BOX     25,    26 

Dungeon     34 

How  to  Empty    41,   42 

How   to   Fill 32,    33 

Old    Style     26 

Swarm   Boxes,   Number   Needed 63 

Swarming  Prevented  by  Young  Queens    97 
Syrup  Thick   or  Thin   for  Cell-building   28 

T 

Twin    Mating   Box    47,    48 


V 

Ventilation    in    Hot    Weather 74 

Virgin.  How  She  Can  Destroy  Cells..  66 

Virgin  or  Cell  Introduction 51-  55 

VIRGINS 

Food    for    52 

How    They    Perform 11,  12 

Plurality  of   12 

Proper   Feeding  for 51 

W 

Wax    for    Cell-dipping 20 

AVeather,    Bad    for    Queen-rearing.  .  65,  66 

Winter    Feeding    105 

Winter   Work    in    Queeu-rearing 18 

Wintering    Nuclei     94 

Wiring    Frames.    How    to    Do    it 95 


i 


